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CAD Viewer and Converter
3D-Tool Version 17
intuitive & practical 3D without CAD expertise
affordable & universal many 3D/2D interfaces
3D CAD Viewer for CATIA, NX, Creo, SolidWorks, STEP, STL and more
Open, inspect, measure and analyze 3D models and 2D drawings quickly and easily - without your own CAD system.
Whether in toolmaking, manufacturing, quality assurance, purchasing or technical documentation - 3D-Tool supports every area where CAD data matters.
Reduce costs
No expensive CAD licenses required - with full functionality.
Many interfaces
Compatible with all common formats and CAD interfaces.
Analyze comprehensively
Wall thickness, collision and tooling analysis directly in the viewer.
What is the 3D-Tool CAD viewer used for?
3D-Tool is an intuitive CAD viewer and converter for companies that want to open, inspect, measure, analyze and convert 3D models and 2D drawings - without their own CAD system and without CAD knowledge.
With 3D-Tool you open a wide range of CAD and 3D file formats: from STL, 3MF, OBJ and VRML to STEP, IGES, JT, SAT and Parasolid, plus CATIA, Siemens NX, Creo, SolidWorks, Inventor, Solid Edge and many more formats.
The 3D-Tool CAD viewer is suitable for companies across many industries. Typical areas of application include:
Tool and mold making
Mechanical and plant engineering
The automotive industry and its suppliers
Device engineering and medical technology
Prototyping and 3D printing
Architecture and building services
With 3D-Tool, companies can quickly assess CAD data, check dimensions and analyze geometries. In addition, CAD models can be prepared for manufacturing, inspection and communication. The 3D-Tool CAD viewer supports the following areas of work in particular:
Quoting, costing and purchasing
Work preparation, quality assurance and manufacturing
Development, engineering and documentation
Dynamic 3D and 2D viewing without a CAD system
Open more than 30 CAD formats
3D-Tool reads more than 30 3D file formats - from STL and 3MF through STEP to CATIA, Creo and Siemens NX. In addition, the viewer supports 2D drawings in the DXF, DWG and HPGL formats.
Inspect 3D models quickly and practically:
- Professional measurement and analysis tools
- User-friendly, intuitive program interface
- Simple operation with mouse movements and clicks
- No CAD expertise and no lengthy training required
Typical areas of use for 3D-Tool
3D-Tool supports companies wherever CAD data has to be opened, inspected, analyzed and prepared quickly for decisions, quotations or manufacturing.
- Tool and mold making, mechanical and plant engineering, the automotive industry and its suppliers, device engineering and medical technology, prototyping and 3D printing, as well as architecture and building services: inspect, assess, analyze and coordinate parts, assemblies and CAD data.
- Quotation, purchasing and sales: open CAD data, check technical details and feasibility and create a sound basis for quotations and decisions.
- Work preparation and quality assurance: analyze geometries, check dimensions, prepare manufacturing processes and detect deviations more easily.
- Development, design and documentation: prepare models, create views, document technical information and share CAD data easily.
Teamwork and documentation
Use 3D-Tool for collaboration within your company and with customers, suppliers and project partners. With 3D-Tool you export models as a directly executable EXE file or as a 3D-PDF for Adobe Reader. With 3D-Tool Premium you also convert models into 3D-HTML pages for modern browsers.
For presentations, meetings, quotations and technical documentation you create meaningful views with just a few clicks. Hide parts and assemblies, make components transparent or combine cross-sections with exploded views.
With 3D-Tool you create reports with bills of materials (BOM), model information, dimensions and weights.
Measuring and analyzing 3D models
The CAD Viewer as an information tool
With 3D-Tool, you estimate manufacturing costs faster and prepare quotes more easily.
The Model Info tool with material database quickly and easily provides dimensions, surface area, volume, weight and center of mass for parts and assemblies. 3D-Tool Premium also supports the display of Product Manufacturing Information (PMI).
3D Viewer with many measurement functions
For detailed measurement of designs, you need neither CAD expertise nor lengthy training.
3D-Tool provides measurement tools for distances, angles, radii, wall thicknesses and clearances. The viewer also calculates centers of mass, surface areas, contour lengths and the minimum bounding box of parts. When you move the mouse pointer over the model, intelligent preselection helps you choose suitable measurement references for every measurement.
Practical analysis tools
You do not need a CAD workstation to estimate manufacturing costs, for example in toolmaking.
Use the 3D-Tool analysis tools and features for specific inspection tasks:
- Tooling Analysis calculates draft angles, mold cavities, undercuts and projected area.
- Wall Thickness Analysis creates wall thickness heatmaps using ray and sphere methods.
- Collision Analysis shows collisions and insufficient clearances between components.
- Model Comparison shows the differences between two models.
CAD data exchange and interoperability
The 3D-Tool Premium Interfaces
3D-Tool Premium provides interfaces not only for common 3D files such as STEP, JT and IGES, but also for native CAD files directly from CATIA, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Creo, AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Navisworks and Rhino.
The 3D-Tool Viewer uses the visualization data from native CAD files. This allows it to open large assemblies even on standard PCs.
The 3D-NativeCAD Converter
Use 3D-Tool Premium as a universal and flexible interface between your CAD program and the different format requirements of your customers and suppliers.
The 3D-NativeCAD Converter in 3D-Tool Premium converts 3D models from all major CAD systems to the 3D exchange formats STEP, JT, Parasolid X_T, IGES and SAT.
The 3D-NativeCAD Converter also creates 3D product visualization formats such as 3D-PDF, 3D-HTML, FBX, Collada, 3MF and glTF.
Customer Testimonials
Tens of thousands of users worldwide use 3D-Tool for daily work with CAD data - including development, purchasing, sales, manufacturing, production planning and quality assurance.
"I use 3D-Tool to collaborate with suppliers and customers. Especially exporting an exe file with custom views and notes is very useful..."
Danfoss Electronic Controls & Sensors, Denmark
"Collaboration locally, nationally, and internationally is critical to developing successful products. 3D-Tool facilitates fast, efficient, detailed collaboration..."
Honeywell, USA
"Regarding 3D-Tool - we believe it is a great product and I was recommending it to our business partners..."
Presstran Industries Cosma International, USA
3D-Tool Basic, Advanced and Premium
The 3D-Tool Viewer provides all functions for measuring and analyzing 3D models and 2D drawings in the three license editions Basic, Advanced and Premium. The editions differ mainly in their supported import interfaces. The 3D-NativeCAD Converter is available only with a Premium license.
Choose the edition that fits your CAD data - from the lean entry-level version to the complete Premium interface for professional data exchange.
BASIC
€ 200 / one-time
Per single-user license, plus VAT.
- Viewer with all tools and features
- Basic 3D interfaces: VRML, STL, 3DS, SLP, XGL, OBJ, ASC, IV, PLY, 3MF
- Basic 2D interfaces: DXF, DWG, HPGL/HPGL2
- Advanced 3D interfaces: STEP, IGES, VDA, SAT, Parasolid
- Premium 3D interfaces (CATIA, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo ...)
- 3D-NativeCAD Converter
ADVANCED
€ 400 / one-time
Per single-user license, plus VAT.
- Viewer with all tools and features
- Basic 3D interfaces: VRML, STL, 3DS, SLP, XGL, OBJ, ASC, IV, PLY, 3MF
- Basic 2D interfaces: DXF, DWG, HPGL/HPGL2
- Advanced 3D interfaces: STEP, IGES, VDA, SAT, Parasolid
- Premium 3D interfaces (CATIA, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo ...)
- 3D-NativeCAD Converter
PREMIUM
€ 800 / one-time
Per single-user license, plus VAT.
- Viewer with all tools and features
- Basic 3D interfaces: VRML, STL, 3DS, SLP, XGL, OBJ, ASC, IV, PLY, 3MF
- Basic 2D interfaces: DXF, DWG, HPGL/HPGL2
- Advanced 3D interfaces: STEP, IGES, VDA, SAT, Parasolid
- Premium 3D interfaces: CATIA V4/V5/V6, Pro/Engineer, Creo, Autodesk Inventor, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Rhino, JT, DWG, DXF, STEP, IGS, VDA, SAT, SAB, X_T, X_B, DGN, IFC, PDF, PRC, U3D, RVT, DAE, FBX, glTF
- 3D-NativeCAD Converter
All prices include free support.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What CAD formats does 3D-Tool support?
3D-Tool supports more than 30 3D and 2D CAD formats. These include native formats from CAD systems such as CATIA, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Creo, Inventor, Rhino and AutoCAD, exchange formats such as STEP, JT, IGES, Parasolid and SAT, and visualization formats such as STL, 3MF, PLY, VRML and OBJ. 2D drawings in DWG, DXF and HPGL are also supported.
What sets 3D-Tool apart from other CAD viewers?
3D-Tool is designed for ease of use and practical application. The professional measurement, analysis and conversion functions are intuitive and require no CAD expertise, training or lengthy onboarding. Many features come directly from user suggestions - from the everyday practice of people who work with CAD data.
How much does 3D-Tool cost, and can I try it before buying?
A perpetual license for 3D-Tool Premium costs 800 euros. It includes the viewer, all CAD interfaces and the 3D-Native CAD Converter. Before buying, you can test all interfaces and tools free of charge for 14 days. 3D-Tool Basic costs 200 euros and 3D-Tool Advanced costs 400 euros. Both editions provide the same functions for viewing, measuring and analyzing 3D models and 2D drawings as 3D-Tool Premium, but support fewer CAD file formats and do not include the 3D-NativeCAD Converter. The free 3D-Tool Free Viewer provides almost the same tools as the 3D-Tool Viewer, but opens only DDD, STL and 3MF files and cannot export CAD files.
How can I open CAD files without a CAD system?
You can open CAD files without your own CAD system with a CAD viewer such as 3D-Tool. The software lets you view, inspect, measure and analyze 3D models and 2D drawings without a CAD license or CAD knowledge.
With 3D-Tool, companies open CAD files from more than 30 formats, including STEP, IGES, STL, 3MF, OBJ, JT, SAT, Parasolid and native formats from CATIA, Siemens NX, Creo, SolidWorks, Inventor and Solid Edge. This makes it easy to quickly inspect, measure, analyze and, if needed, convert CAD data to other formats - regardless of which CAD system was used to create the file.
With 3D-Tool, companies open CAD files from more than 30 formats, including STEP, IGES, STL, 3MF, OBJ, JT, SAT, Parasolid and native formats from CATIA, Siemens NX, Creo, SolidWorks, Inventor and Solid Edge. This makes it easy to quickly inspect, measure, analyze and, if needed, convert CAD data to other formats - regardless of which CAD system was used to create the file.
How does 3D-Tool support toolmaking, purchasing, work preparation and quality assurance?
3D-Tool supports toolmaking, purchasing, work preparation and quality assurance when quickly opening, inspecting, measuring, analyzing and converting CAD files - without a CAD system and without CAD knowledge.
In toolmaking, 3D models can be checked for wall thicknesses, draft angles, undercuts and changes. Purchasing, quoting and costing teams can use CAD data to better assess dimensions, volumes, technical requirements and manufacturing effort. In work preparation and quality assurance, 3D-Tool helps with checking geometries, comparing model revisions, measuring relevant part information and documentation. For development, design and technical documentation, 3D-Tool provides a simple way to display, analyze and share CAD files from many formats.
In toolmaking, 3D models can be checked for wall thicknesses, draft angles, undercuts and changes. Purchasing, quoting and costing teams can use CAD data to better assess dimensions, volumes, technical requirements and manufacturing effort. In work preparation and quality assurance, 3D-Tool helps with checking geometries, comparing model revisions, measuring relevant part information and documentation. For development, design and technical documentation, 3D-Tool provides a simple way to display, analyze and share CAD files from many formats.