STEP - STEP is one of the most widely used CAD file formats for 3D files. It is a neutral file type and can be used by most CAD products. Although it is no longer developed, the IGES file is still widely used to transfer data between CAD, CAM, and CAE software programs. IGES - IGES file types are used for 3D CAD files. Similar to DWG files, DWG files are usually used for 2D drawings. Because these files are so common it’s important to choose a CAD viewer that supports DWF files. These files are native to AutoCAD and other Autodesk products. DWF files are saved in a compressed format to reduce the size of the file. This file type is a highly compressed version of a CAD file that's useful for viewing, printing, and transmitting designs. DWG files are supported non-natively by many other CAD products because of its widespread use in computer-aided design.ĭWF - DWF stands for design web format. It is perhaps the most common CAD file type for 2D drawings since it is used by some of the largest vendors in the CAD market. While some CAD viewers have great accessibility and allow users to view most types, others only allow users to view and annotate the most common files.ĭWG - A DWG file viewer allows users to view the native format of products such as Draftsight, AutoCAD, BricsCAD and more.

So if users want to work with those files, they have to work with those products.īelow are the most common CAD files, and ones that should be supported by most CAD viewers.There are over 50 types of CAD files that are used in computer-aided design.

For example, popular CAD products such as SolidWorks, and Solid Edge can only use CAD files in their own format. On the other hand, users can run into problems when they encounter proprietary file formats. These are very popular for their ability to handle all different types of CAD files. Neutral or open-source formats were invented as intermediate formats for converting between two proprietary formats. An important aspect to note about CAD files is that some are neutral file types while others are proprietary files.

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