eDrawing online and offline Viewer
What is an eDrawing?
An eDrawing is literally an electronic drawing. We used to have huge archives with technical drawings on paper. These were first scanned many years ago and stored in electronic archives. Here they can be searched for and displayed very quickly. However, since the pixel data of a scan are difficult to process further, many of these files were vectorized either completely or in parts as soon as they had to be changed. Corresponding software is still available today. By definition, new drawings are initially 2D and have long been created electronically using CAD. Popular 2D CAD systems are AutoCAD and its clones, such as Bricscad based on ODA and Intellicad, but also Solidedge and Solidworks. Even if around 50% of the design is in 3D with Solidworks, many users still talk about 2D and 3D drawings. The product name eDrawings was derived from this.
eDrawings Viewer for Solidworks
Most users know and use eDrawings as a free viewer for Solidworks. As a rule, the native Solidworks data is converted into the eDrawings format and distributed for this purpose. The free viewer has a firmly defined range of functions that is sufficient for certain areas of application. However, there are still chargeable product variants and options, such as eDrawings Professional with a greater variety of functions and eDrawings Publisher for converting CAD data from other CAD systems.
3DViewStation online and offline viewer for Solidworks
Many customers contact us who initially worked with the free eDrawings Viewer. But when they have reached their limits, they evaluate alternative products. Often the functionality is not sufficient, regardless of whether further measuring functions or advanced analyzes such as draft angle, wall thickness, collision or distance analyzes are sought.
Viewer for notebooks
These analyzes should mostly be carried out locally on a notebook, for which our 3DViewStation desktop version is intended. It not only loads Solidworks CAD data, part data, DWG, DXF etc., but also offers support for many other native and standard 3D CAD formats such as Catia, NX, Creo, Inventor, AutoCAD, STEP, JT, Office and image formats. In addition, customers compare the loading speed and are enthusiastic about the unmatched performance even with assemblies with millions of components. Who loads a complete passenger ship in a few seconds? Here our 3DVS data format beats the eDrawings format by far.
Solidworks Viewer for mobile devices
Some interested parties come to us via an eDrawing online search and immediately understand the advantage of a 3DViewStation WebViewer version compared to downloading an eDrawings file. It may be technically simple to simply download a file and view it with a locally installed viewer. But unfortunately that also has considerable disadvantages. Because no CAD manager likes to see construction data on a device outside of their own organization. In addition, it can take a long time for a complex assembly to download before it is displayed, especially if you are on the move. The 3DViewStation WebViewer version solves all of these problems. No 3D data whatsoever is transferred to the end device, so that it is neither accidentally lost nor captured, i.e. accessed by the graphics card. What is unique is that the WebViewer has almost the same range of functions as the desktop version. You can also carry out an undercut analysis in the browser under Windows or Linux, on the tablet under iOS, Android or Windows and even on your smartphone. On the Samrtphone we offer a special user interface for mobile devices, while in the browser on the PC you usually find a ribbon surface like in the desktop version. This surface can be adapted, reduced and also changed to the mobile appearance on the PC.
Solidworks Viewer integrated and stand alone product
As it is, eDrawings is very good on its own, i.e. it can be used stand-alone. But it's arguably not the ideal tool for integrations. But if you want to experience a 3D CAD design or a 2D drawing with only one uniform user interface integrated into the surface of a leading system, you are welcome to use our powerful programming interface (API). All members of our product family have this API. And since they all share the same, namely our own graphics core, the same functions are also available to you via API.
You will find detailed information in our help center. Not only the API documentation, but also integration examples. These have already successfully helped many developers to integrate the 3DViewStation not only, but also as a Solidworks Viewer. It makes no difference whether you are aiming for integration in a PLM system or in a product configurator, an after-sales application, a spare parts or parts catalog or in an HMI (human man interface on a machine).
Download a professional Solidworks Viewer trial version and online test for free
Download your next viewer for Solidworks and other 3D and 2D formats from the download area now. It's completely free for you. The test period is 30 days on any Windows computer, if you have not already tested an earlier release of the 3DViewStation there. All functions, including optional ones, are available to you during the test period. Only the number of possible exports is limited. The 3DViewStation desktop version has F1 help that jumps precisely to our online Help Center. Most of the functions are described in detail there. In our BLOG and also on YouTube there are videos that show how to work with the 3DViewStation.
Desktop version and VR edition for Solidworks Viewer
In the download area you will not find any augmented, change our virtual reality solution, the 3DViewStation VR-Edition, with which you can experience your Solidworks assemblies virtually, in real size. They are particularly suitable for this purpose with large machines, systems, aircraft and vehicles. We currently do not know of any other VR solution or simulation that allows the aforementioned passenger ship with 10 million components to be immersively experienced in a few seconds. No other VR solution offers the same CAD typical DMU functions that you know from the desktop and web viewer version. Have you ever carried out a wall thickness analysis in VR in a fully detailed ship and saved it in a view?
Solidworks Viewer WebViewer version
Finally, the download area also takes you to our 3DViewStation WebViewer test portal. However, you have to register there once so that you can not only view demo data, but also upload and upload your own data. You can choose whether you only want to view this data privately or whether you want to make it available to other users for viewing. We use our collaboration platform VisShare for the online test. There our 3DViewStation WebViewer runs on the one hand in a 3D preview window and alternatively with a full surface in a separate browser. You can also test a new feature here: You can send a link with which other users can join the same session ad hoc without them having to register or log in beforehand and without having to load the CAD models themselves. In session sharing mode it is possible to transfer control to another user, but also to withdraw it again. This function has been developed closely with end customers.
Contact us
Now all you have to do is call us. Get in touch with us now. Let us discuss your requirements and how we can map them. Maybe in some places the eDrawings Viewer is not enough and we close the gap with the 3DViewStation. The 3000 companies that already work with the 3DViewStation cannot be wrong. And our more than 30 years of experience in the viewer market can be found again and again in our products, which we have developed close to customer requirements.
