Layers
Turn layers on and off, freeze the ones in the way, and see which layer anything is on.
DWG viewer Open and view DWG files in your browser
Somebody sent you a DWG and there is no AutoCAD on this machine. Open it in a Cadlite tab instead: no download, no plug-in and no licence to borrow for an afternoon.
How opening a DWG works
DWG is a closed format, so it takes one extra step that DXF does not.
- 01
Create a free account
Every account starts free, with no card. Drawings you open are kept with it, so they are there on the next machine too.
- 02
Open the file
Cadlite sends the DWG to our servers, converts it to DXF, and draws the result in your browser. The conversion uses tokens, charged by the file's size.
- 03
Look around
Pan with the middle mouse button, zoom about the cursor with the wheel, and type ZE - or press Ctrl+0 - to fit the whole drawing on screen.
What you can check once it is open
A viewer that only shows lines is not much use for answering the question you opened the file for.
Distances and areas
DIST measures between two snapped points; AREA gives the area and perimeter of a room or a plot.
What an object is
LIST, or the Properties panel (Ctrl+1), shows an object's layer, size and geometry.
Arabic notes that read as gibberish
Text drawn with an old Arabic SHX font often opens as Latin letters and brackets. Cadlite can map it back to readable Arabic.
Print or PDF
Plot to a vector PDF, a PNG or a printer at a set scale and paper size (Ctrl+P).
Keep a copy
Export to DXF - always free - or keep working on it as a Cadlite project.
Questions about viewing DWG files
Do I need AutoCAD or a DWG plug-in?
No. The conversion happens on our servers and the drawing is shown in an ordinary browser tab, on Windows, macOS, Linux or a Chromebook.
Is viewing free?
Looking at, measuring and printing a drawing costs nothing. Converting the DWG when you open it uses tokens based on its size, and the free account's starting balance is there for exactly that.
Can I edit it too?
Yes - the viewer is the full editor. See editing DWG files online for what that covers and how the file goes back as DWG.
Is Cadlite made by Autodesk?
No. Cadlite is an independent product and is not affiliated with Autodesk, which created the DWG format.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Open your next drawing in a tab.
No download and no card. Drafting is free for as long as you use it.
Your first editor account is free.
Open Cadlite