All About the View
Rising with the popularity of digital drawing programs in the early 1980’s, the drawing interchange format, better known as DXF, is one of the oldest types of file formats used in computer-aided design (CAD). Originally designed to enable the exchange of models between AutoCAD and other programs, it’s common for 3D printing enthusiasts to come across a model that’s in DXF format.
Alas, even though this file is prevalent across many industries, few 3D modelers have the baked-in capability of opening a DXF file. As a result, there’s a need to view DXF models prior to going through the effort of converting them into a format compatible with their 3D modeling program or slicer of choice. Alternatively, you could be an AutoCAD expat because you don’t want to pay a monthly subscription fee just to reference a file that you created for an old project.
Whatever your reason may be, the goal of this article is to provide a variety of different options for viewing DXF files.
What to Look For
Each option covered in this article is structured around two different types of DXF viewers: viewers that are free and viewers that are paid. Paid viewers tend to provide a large set of extra features beyond simply viewing DXF files, whereas the free viewers focus primarily on opening DXF files.
Combing through the various options out there, we pulled this list together based on the following considerations:
- Easy to use: A desired trait for most software, being easy to install and use is an important factor when choosing a method to view a DXF file. This is especially true if you only need to view DXF files on occasion and don’t need a complex set of tools to work with.
- Supportive: Although viewing a DXF file shouldn’t require any special technical skills, some of the programs on this list have many complex functions. As a result, access to good official documentation and community support can make a huge difference in making a viewer usable.
- Feature-rich: At the bare minimum, a DXF file viewer should display a rendered representation of the object in your DXF file. Having added functions such as measuring, converting, and colorizing are considered added bonuses.
Free: Autodesk Viewer
Autodesk, the maintainer of the DXF format, makes Autodesk Viewer, a free online tool that allows you to upload DXF files for viewing. While using the tool requires you to create an account with Autodesk, this cloud-based viewer has the added advantage of being cross-platform, which is especially useful when using a PC with limited installation privileges.
While the functionality of the application itself is limited to viewing, you’re also able to share annotations with others on the platform, which can be useful if collaborating with others. Overall, there’s a reasonable amount of first-party documentation from Autodesk, but the online community seems to be fairly quiet.
- Operating systems: Windows, macOS, or Linux
- Type: Online
- Disk space required: Not applicable
- Cost: Free
Free: CADKitViewer
Although it appears to be somewhat old-school, CADKitViewer is a functional piece of software that can be downloaded, unzipped, and then executed on most Windows PCs. Offering very basic viewing functionality like pan, tilt, and zoom, the program is lightweight and to the point.
This is a good choice for users who don’t wish to sign up for an Autodesk account. However, be prepared to read in between the lines a bit since the documentation doesn’t explain all the functions available.
- Operating system: Windows
- Type: Offline
- Disk space required: ~1 MB
- Cost: Free
Free: LibreCAD
LibreCAD is an open-source drawing application that can be used to view DXF drawings. While only being a 2D viewer, the program is capable of natively running from Linux, macOS, and Windows, which can be handy for those that use multiple computers for their projects.
Recently, there have been extensive changes to the software so there’s not a lot of documentation at present. Still, opening and manipulating your view of a DXF is very straightforward.
- Operating systems: Windows, macOS, or Linux
- Type: Offline
- Disk space required: ~300 MB
- Cost: Free
Free/Paid: eDrawings Viewer
Dassault Systèmes, the makers of SolidWorks, publishes a free DXF file viewer called eDrawings Viewer. After installing and registering for the free version, users get access to a useful viewer with functions and features that are similar to the online-only Autodesk viewer.
Users who opt to upgrade to eDrawings Professional unlock the ability to use a virtual reality headset to view their DXF files. On top of that, the professional version has the ability to save specific views of imported drawings as HTML files for sharing with others. Overall though, there isn’t a lot of online or community documentation for eDrawings Viewer, but you can always try tapping into the SolidWorks community forum for help.
- Operating systems: Windows or macOS
- Type: Offline
- Disk space required: ~1 GB
- Cost: Free for personal use, the professional version is included with SolidWorks purchase
Free/Paid: Fusion 360
Designed to be an end-to-end platform for “CAD, CAM, CAE, and PCB (printed circuit board)” design, the wide variety of tools in Fusion 360 makes this a highly complex but feature-filled DXF file viewer.
While this software is likely excessive for users that just need to view a single DXF file, it comes with a plethora of documentation and community tutorials that make learning to use the tool rewarding. A limited version of Fusion 360 is free for hobbyists, but professionals will need to pay for a monthly or yearly license.
- Operating systems: Windows or macOS
- Type: Offline
- Disk space required: 3 GB
- Cost: Free for personal use, $60 per month or $495 per year for professionals
Paid/Trial: AutoCAD
AutoCAD started off in the 1980’s as a piece of software meant to create computerized 2D drawings. Over the years, it has expanded in scope to incorporate 3D objects, surfaces, and much more.
While overkill for users looking to view a single DXF file, if you intend on working primarily with DXF files, AutoCAD is the first-party feature-filled choice. The popularity of AutoCAD has resulted in both official and third-party documentation to teach you how to learn the basics of the tool.
- Operating systems: Windows or macOS
- Type: Offline
- Disk space required: 7 GB for Windows, 3 GB for macOS
- Cost: $210 per month or $1,690 per year
Paid/Trial: SketchUp Pro
Coming in both online and offline versions, SketchUp is a modeling program that aims to help users intuitively design and iterate custom 3D designs. Its easy-to-use interface has made it popular with the 3D community.
To view DXF files, SketchUp users will have to have the Pro license. Similar to the other paid options, SketchUp provides in-depth official documentation. A variety of videos and learning opportunities are also available through the user community.
- Operating systems: Windows or macOS
- Type: Online or offline
- Disk space required: 1 GB
- Cost: $299 per year
Paid/Trial: Adobe Illustrator
Though not a tool traditionally used in the world of 3D printing, Adobe Illustrator has been used by the graphic design community since the 1980s. While only capable of viewing 2D DXF files, Adobe Illustrator offers many additional features, such as the ability to measure or colorize the imported DXF file.
With a very loyal fanbase across many different industries, Illustrator has good built-in support as well as a large amount of community-generated learning content. For those thinking of giving Illustrator a try, keep in mind that the interface is somewhat different than what you’d find in a traditional modeling program.
- Operating systems: Windows or macOS
- Type: Offline
- Disk space required: 2 GB
- Cost: $31.49 per month or $240 per year
Lead image source: Autodesk
License: The text of "How to View DXF Files: 8 Easy Solutions" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.