CADViewer by Orua
CADViewer by Orua is a free, open-source browser viewer for CAD drawings, designed for large engineering files and read-only previews.
What CADViewer by Orua is
CADViewer by Orua is a free, open-source browser viewer for CAD drawings, designed for large engineering files and read-only previews. It opens DWG, DXF, STL, STEP/STP, IGES/IGS, and BREP/BRP files through one file entry and toolbar. DWG and DXF parsing runs in a Web Worker with LibreDWG WebAssembly, then progressively renders entities using Canvas 2D and Path2D. Three-dimensional formats are processed locally with OpenCascade WebAssembly and displayed with WebGL, including selectable metal surface-finish previews. Navigation includes pan, wheel zoom, fit-to-view, zoom window, drawing-list visibility, and light or dark backgrounds. Locally selected files are parsed in the browser; no account, application backend, or drawing-upload API is required. It can run from a static web server, with documented offline and private-network configuration. It is limited to viewing: there is no CAD editing, entity-property panel, selection workflow, or plugin system. Rendering depends on drawing complexity, device memory, and available fonts; some external images and uncommon entities may not appear.
Good
- Opens DWG, DXF, and several 3D formats.
- Parses locally selected files in the browser.
- Can be deployed on a static web server.
- Includes pan, zoom, and background controls.
Watch out
- Does not provide CAD editing.
- No entity-property panels or selection workflows.
- External raster images may not render.
- Missing fonts can change text appearance.
Who it suits
CADViewer suits users who need browser-based previews of engineering drawings, including through self-hosted deployment. It is for read-only viewing rather than editing CAD files.
Verdict
CADViewer offers a broad set of drawing formats and browser-based viewing controls, with self-hosted deployment available. Its read-only scope and possible rendering limitations are important to consider.
Plans and prices
From CADViewer by Orua's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| CADViewer | Free | Open-source browser viewer · read-only · self-hosted static deployment |
The facts
Each one read from CADViewer by Orua's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- 3D previews
- Three-dimensional formats are processed locally with OpenCascade WebAssembly and displayed with WebGL, with selectable metal surface-finish previews.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Capacity limits
- The project says supported drawing size depends on the drawing, browser, device memory, entity complexity, nested blocks, hatches, and fonts.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- CADViewer can be deployed on a static web server without an application server or database, and it documents offline or private-network configuration.checked 4 Oct 2026
- File fidelity limits
- External raster images, proxy objects, and uncommon custom entities may not render, while missing fonts can change text appearance.checked 4 Oct 2026
- File formats
- It opens DWG, DXF, STL, STEP/STP, IGES/IGS, and BREP/BRP through one file entry and toolbar.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Fonts and languages
- It defers SHX, TTF, OTF, and WOFF font loading and supports Simplified Chinese and English through deployment configuration.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Intended audience
- The project is aimed at users who need to preview large AutoCAD drawings in a browser, including through self-hosted deployment.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Large drawing rendering
- DWG/DXF parsing runs in a Web Worker with LibreDWG WebAssembly and progressively renders entities using Canvas 2D and Path2D.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Licensing
- The repository says LibreDWG WebAssembly components are distributed under GPL-3.0-or-later and other components retain their respective licenses.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Navigation
- The viewer supports pan, wheel zoom, fit-to-view, zoom window, drawing-list visibility, and light or dark backgrounds.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- Locally selected files are parsed in the browser, and the viewer does not require an account, application backend, or drawing-upload API.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- CADViewer is an open-source browser CAD viewer designed for large engineering drawings and read-only previews.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Read-only limits
- It does not provide CAD editing, entity-property panels, selection workflows, or a plugin system.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Security caveat
- The project notes that a hosting site may retain ordinary web-server access logs.checked 4 Oct 2026
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