Primarily used by designers, engineers, draftsmen, and architects, computer-aided design (CAD) facilitates every step of the creative process, from the exploration of design ideas through specification-complete dimensioned drawings to visualized concept renderings.
If you’re working on a new complex project that requires many parts, you surely don’t want to design everything from scratch. Designers often choose to draw from existing designs and augment them where necessary, in order to save time for more important work.
Even mechanical engineers use design libraries most of the time, with some of the best software out there offering built-in design libraries. These libraries are treasure troves of 3D parts, from helical gears to anatomical hearts and everything in between.
In this article, we’ll present some of the best websites out there that offer free, high-quality CAD models. Before we start, though, let’s first go through the considerations we kept in mind to identify the best sites out there.
Considerations
There are many sites out there that can help you find a wide variety of models. Some sites are naturally suited to technical applications, while others are targeted toward hobbyists. So, keep an eye out for sites relevant to your applications.
With so many options to choose from, we whittled the list down to the best by considering details like the following:
- High variety: Each website has to include a decent variety of free CAD models, in terms of quality and the types of models on offer.
- Large quantity: Here, we’re thinking about the number of free models available on a site.
- Easy interface: Everyone likes a website with a user-friendly interface where browsing the website is fun and engaging. We tried to avoid sites where it felt like hard work to find free models.
It’s always recommended that, where possible, you download a model in the format your software natively uses. Downloading a SolidWorks model for SolidWorks rather than, say, a STEP or IGES file will allow you to easily edit the file to fit your specific needs.
With that in mind, let’s dive into our list!
Mechanical & Electrical Parts
The following sites provide an extensive library of hardware and assembly parts, often modeled from purchasable components.
TraceParts
TraceParts gathers available 3D models from different manufacturers and online catalogs, concisely categorizing and displaying them for designers and engineers. It offers a huge number of entries, currently over 115 million searchable parts. Its library selection is mostly geared toward engineers, including items such as mechanical components, pneumatic components, and electronics.
The website currently boasts a huge user base of 5.1 million. It’s easy to navigate with the search bar on the homepage and a range of clear and comprehensive model categories. Search results are also directly related to the searched-for keyword without much deviation.
This library offers a significant number of official company-affiliated parts. Available for a wide range of applications, these files are easily downloaded. Searching for “gear” returned over 600,000 results, and a large variety is displayed, including bevel, helical, couplings, gearboxes, and DC gear motors.
Models on TraceParts are downable in an extensive range of file formats, including 3D printable file types. The site also accommodates different versions of some software (i.e. Catia V4 and V5).
Before you can download files, you’ll have to register. Benefits of registration include news on part catalogs and milestones, a blog comprising case studies, and newsletters on new products and 3D printing.
- Free CAD files available: 115,000,000
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
Thomas
Thomas is mainly a sourcing company that focuses on connecting buyers, suppliers, and engineers. They have a library of CAD models on their website that can be, quite honestly, easily overlooked by many designers and engineers.
The library consists of over 10 million models collected from product specification websites and pages of different manufacturers and suppliers. With a focus on engineers and industrial end uses, it’s easy to find most mechanical parts like bearings, actuators, and control components.
The interface is quite simple. Type your keywords in the search bar, or alternatively, you can scroll down to browse through the available selection, which is organized into product categories or functions. It’s important to note that the search will yield catalogs from manufacturers and distributors that offer the sought-after designs.
File formats include cross-software compatible types (such as IGES and STEP) as well as a large number of proprietary formats specific to different platforms, including SolidWorks, Catia, AutoCAD, and Autodesk Inventor.
- Free CAD files available: 10,000,000+
- Registration required: No
- Price: Free
3D ContentCentral
3D ContentCentral is a free service offered by Dassault Systems that allows users to download and configure CAD parts. The library has just over 2.6 million users and involves both user-contributed and supplier-certified parts and assemblies. It includes a large number of parts to download across a decent-sized product range.
The search bar is immediately obvious with recently added suppliers and the most sought-after content available from the homepage. Searching for “gear” returned nearly 30,000 results, with almost no deviation from the original keyword in the results. A quick registration, however, is required to be able to download files.
The website offers an impressive variety of categories, which are accessible by clicking “Find”, and then “All Content” on the top menu on the left. It also offers a rating system, which is always a useful addition.
- Free CAD files available: 600,000+
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr is a comprehensive online hub for hardware, tools, and machinery components essential for construction. It functions as both a virtual catalog and a practical resource for engineers and designers.
Offering a seamless experience, users can access an array of free CAD files in 2D and 3D formats (like Solidworks, STEP, IGES, and DXF) for their projects. Without any registration requirement, downloading CAD files is hassle-free.
When ready to bring designs to life, users can effortlessly order the physical parts, even for international delivery. The platform’s unique combination of CAD resources and the seamless ordering process makes it a great tool for efficient and effective machine-building endeavors.
- Free CAD files available: 500,000+
- Registration required: No
- Price: Free
Misumi
Misumi is a prominent online hardware emporium catering to diverse sectors such as automotive, packaging, medical, and 3D printing. Housing an extensive spectrum of components across 15 categories, including automation, fasteners, machining tools, and lab supplies, it’s a great resource for a variety of industries. The downloadable 2D and 3D CAD files expedite design processes and enhance project reliability, although you’ll need to register to access them.
A standout feature is their RAPiD Design, an online application library brimming with ideas across manufacturing domains. It’s even offered as a Solidworks add-on. With global shipping options, Misumi offers a comprehensive service for users worldwide.
- Free CAD files available: Not listed
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
Architecture & Furniture
These next sites have a huge selection of designs for designing buildings and interiors, both aesthetic and functional.
Bimobject
Bimobject focuses primarily on files for building information modeling (BIM) and interior design. To most beginners in the BIM field, one of the most daunting tasks is actually gathering your library of models and objects. This website offers everything from building and construction materials to doors, electronics, furniture, plumbing, HVAC, and even fabrics.
Bimobject is truly a gem. Aside from the sleek interface, the quality of the offered free models, the wide variety of the selection, and the coherence with BIM make for a great website. You can search by typing keywords in the search bar at the top of the page. A nice addition to the search bar is the opportunity to filter your results by software and region right in the search bar itself. File types are mostly related to BIM software such as Revit or AutoCAD.
To download the models, registration is required, but the process is quick and simple. Plus, it comes with the added benefit of being able to save your favorite models in project folders. You can have several folders for several different projects and save your favorite models in each of them. Most importantly, it’s free to register on the website, and all the models are free to download.
- Free CAD files available: 100,000+
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
NBS Source
NBS Source is a BIM library catering to the UK, Canada, and Australia, facilitating seamless access to top-quality building information files. The platform also provides an avenue for manufacturers to contribute their products, enriching the collection.
Notably, the Autodesk Revit plug-in streamlines the design process, enabling direct downloads of objects from NBS. The NBS BIM Object Standard fosters consistency by defining information requirements for BIM objects. The extensive BIM files are thoughtfully categorized into 17 sections, enhancing search efficiency. Primarily available in .rfa extension, these files are ideal for modern construction projects.
While registration is essential for file downloads, NBS Source is a pivotal resource for unified, high-quality building information in these regions.
- Free CAD files available: 25,000+
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
3Dfindit
3Dfindit is a platform bridging design and engineering with CAD catalogs from esteemed component manufacturers. The specialized search engine focuses on technology-centric content from global manufacturers, offering a wealth of intelligent metadata-enhanced 3D CAD, CAE, and BIM models.
With a vast collection spanning 134 CAD formats, this repository hosts high-quality files provided directly by the manufacturers themselves. Accessible for free, these models empower creators with their precision and reliability. Housing over 5,700 supplier catalogs, each with their own collection of CAD files, 3Dfindit grants users a comprehensive selection.
While registration is required to download files, the platform’s commitment to free, manufacturer-approved models makes it an invaluable tool for seamless design and engineering endeavors.
- Free CAD files available: ~5,700 supplier catalogs, countless files
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
Freepolygon
Freepolygon stands out as a premier repository of free, meticulously crafted 3D models tailored for architecture and animation enthusiasts. Boasting an extensive collection, the website houses a multitude of top-notch 3D models available at no cost.
The platform goes beyond the ordinary by offering a plethora of blocks and vector files to cater to various design needs. With file extensions like .3ds, .max, and .fbx, compatibility is assured. The rich assortment spans categories ranging from architecture and furniture to medical, military, and vehicles.
You can download files without the hassle of registration, making Free Polygon a convenient source for high-quality 3D assets.
- Free CAD files available: 1,000+
- Registration required: No
- Price: Free
CADdetails
CADdetails is a hub for architecture, BIM, and Building Product Information, providing a vital platform for manufacturers to disseminate their CAD and BIM files.
The expansive online repository offers an array of CAD files, including extensions like PDF, DWG, DWF, DXF, and GIF, catering to diverse design needs. The availability of 3D and BIM files in formats such as .skp, .rvt, and .rfa further enhances the platform.
While registration is required to access the comprehensive array of files, CADdetails effectively bridges the gap between designers and manufacturers, offering a streamlined solution for high-quality architectural assets and BIM resources.
- Free CAD files available: 500,000+
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
Miscellaneous
This final category of sites provides quite a mixed bag of designs. With massive repositories, you’ll likely be able to find just about anything you can think of, it may just not be of official specifications.
GrabCAD
GrabCAD is advertised as the largest worldwide community of CAD users, boasting over 12 million members. The website’s main target audience is 3D printing enthusiasts and professionals, but the library offers a wide variety of models both within and outside of the realm of 3D printing.
GrabCAD boasts amazing quantity as well as quality. Searching for the keyword “gear” returned nearly 8,000 results. The library covers a variety of file formats, including STEP, IGES, Solidworks, Catia, SketchUp, and Rendering, as well as the ever-popular 3D printable format, STL. You can be certain to find something you can use over there.
The library has a good layout with an easy-to-follow search format and drop-down menus to filter by either category or the software used to create the model. It even features the ability to filter by popularity within a few different time ranges.
Sign-up is required to download the models, but it only takes a few seconds. You can log in using Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn. The downloads are completely free of charge.
- Free CAD files available: 5,700,000+
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
Thingiverse
Thingiverse is a very popular design community affiliated with MakerBot that’s oriented around discovering, making, and sharing 3D printable models. Advertising itself as the largest community of its kind, every model is licensed under a Creative Commons license, allowing anyone to use or alter the designs. It’s an essential bookmark for anyone interested in 3D printing.
Thingiverse has a large number of parts – referred to as “Things” on the website – that are available to download. Searching for a popular keyword like “gear” returned about 10,000 results, with further refinement possible through a series of filters by category and license type, among others. Most of the search results are of CAD models primarily aimed at 3D printing.
Bonus features include a challenges section with previously completed tasks listed as well as an education section with filters by subject and educational level. Other nice features to check out include the “Remixes” and “Makes” buttons available for each model, which allow you to check out other people’s prints and their customizations of the model.
- Free CAD files available: 2,000,000+
- Registration required: No
- Price: Free
3DExport
3DExport stands out as a versatile resource catering to a variety of creative pursuits. It offers free and premium 3D models tailored for CG projects, film production, animation, visualizations, games, VR/AR, and more.
The platform supports an extensive array of formats, including OBJ, FBX, STL, C4D, .blend, and Maya, ensuring compatibility with diverse design software. Models are conveniently organized into specific categories, such as buildings, chairs, cookware, tools, toys, and beyond, streamlining the search process.
A notable feature is that you don’t have to create an account to download files, making the website very user-friendly. By offering a mix of free and paid models, 3DExport caters to the needs of both budget-conscious creators and those seeking premium assets.
- Free CAD files available: 12,000+
- Registration required: No
- Price: Free, with some paid elements
Cad Crowd
Cad Crowd is a platform primarily built as an online network for cooperation between designers and employers. It includes a library section that offers a great selection of free CAD models. Most designers are encouraged to add more to this library of free CAD models to showcase their design capabilities to employers.
The types of models on the website vary greatly, and most of them are detailed and of really great quality. This is partially due to the fact that the designers that upload models are incentivized to show their best work in order to attract potential employers.
The website requires registration to download the models, but it only takes a few seconds and supports logging in using Google. You can register as an artist or an employer. As an artist, you can also participate in different contests announced on the platform from time to time.
- Free CAD files available: 30,000+
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free
Bibliocad
Bibliocad stands out as a paramount resource for architectural design and visualization enthusiasts. Touted as the largest repository of free AutoCAD blocks, it offers a vast collection of designs meticulously organized across 35 diverse categories.
From animals to construction, dental items to electrical lighting, furniture to people, sports, recreation, trees, and beyond, the platform offers wide variety. Compatible file formats such as DWG, 3DS MAX, RVT, and SKP ensure seamless integration with various design software.
While the website requires registration for file downloads, it provides both free and premium models, accommodating the preferences of varied users.
- Free CAD files available: 130,000+
- Registration required: Yes
- Price: Free, with paid models
License: The text of "Free CAD Models: The Best Sites & Libraries of 2023" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.