Opening Files

You can use the Open tool to open an existing file in the eDrawings Viewer.

This information is specific to one or more CAD systems. See the eDrawings Functionality Matrix for availability information.

If you open either a read-only file or a file that is already open in your CAD application or another eDrawings Viewer, a message box advises you of this. You can open the file as read-only, but if you try to save changes to it, a message box appears. Click OK to close the message box, and a Save As dialog box appears. You can then save the file with another name.

eDrawings detects when the graphics data for a component may not be in sync with a later version that was modified and saved in a SOLIDWORKS assembly. When you open a potentially outdated component, a watermark displays a warning and suggests that you rebuild the part in the SOLIDWORKS software. To control the visibility of the watermark, in the graphics area, right-click, and click Show warning watermark for this document only.

The eDrawings Viewer does not display all information in detached drawing documents. To display all information in a detached drawing, publish an eDrawings drawing document from SOLIDWORKS, or resave the drawing document as a regular (undetached) drawing.

To open a file:

  1. Click Open , File > Open, or click next to tabs of other open documents.
    The Open dialog box displays previews of eDrawings, SOLIDWORKS, and published files if the files have been saved in 2008 or later applications. The previews display any changes to custom properties specified in File Explorer.
  2. Set the file type.
  3. Select a file, then click Open.

    See Measure-enabled Files for information about creating and using review-enabled files.

Opening Parts from Assemblies

You can open parts in separate windows from within assemblies.

Right-click a part in the graphics area or the Components pane and click New Part Document.
The part opens in a new eDrawings window as a new document.

Opening Subassemblies from Assemblies

You can open subassemblies in separate windows from within assemblies.

On the Components pane, right-click a subassembly and click New Assembly Document.
The subassembly opens in a new eDrawings window as a new document.

Supported File Types

You can open the following file types in eDrawings.

eDrawings also supports display of SOLIDWORKS Simulation and SOLIDWORKS SimulationXpress data, when available, in eDrawings part or assembly files. For more information, see SOLIDWORKS Simulation Data.

File Type (Version) Description
eDrawings .eprt, .easm, .edrw
SOLIDWORKS .SLDPRT, .SLDASM, .SLDDRW
SOLIDWORKS Template Files .prtdot, .asmdot, .drwdot
ACIS (Up to 2020) .sat, .sab
AutoCAD® (Up to AutoCAD 2018) .dxf files, .dwg files
Autodesk® Inventor® (Up to 2022) .ipt, .iam
CALS (Version 1) .cal, .ct1
CATIA V4 (Up to R4.2.5) .model, .session, .dlv, .exp
CATIA V5 (Up to V5-6 R2021) CATPart, CATProduct
CATIA V6 / 3DEXPERIENCE (Up to V5-6 R2019 (R29)) .3DXML
Creo/Pro/Engineer (Pro/Engineer Release 19.0 to Creo 8.0) .ASM, .ASM.*, .NEU, .NEU.*, .PRT, .PRT.*, .XAS, .XPR

Pro/ENGINEER drawings cannot be imported.

Pro/ENGINEER Release 19.0 to Creo 8.0 are supported.

If a model uses Pro/ENGINEER family table instances, then the XPR and XAS accelerator instance files must be included for correct results. Although these instance accelerator files are optional for Pro/ENGINEER, they are required in eDrawings. When the family table instance modifies the top level of an assembly, open the XAS file corresponding to that instance, rather than the ASM file.

Colors in part files are recognized, but colors applied at the assembly level are not.

Certain Pro/ENGINEER items, such as annotations, sketches, and layers, are not imported.
DXF/DWG Files .dxf files, .dwg files
eDrawings supports the following:
  • DXF and DWG files up to AutoCAD® 2018.
  • AutoCAD fonts (SHX), if AutoCAD is installed. Otherwise the text is rendered in a default Simplex font.
  • Images and OLE objects in DWG files.
  • If you import a DXF/DWG file that has XREFs, eDrawings tries to automatically resolve the XREF. If the XREF cannot be resolved, the Resolve XRef dialog box appears. Click Skip file to import the DXF/DWG file without the XREF file, or navigate to the XREF file, select it, then click Open to open it. See DXF/DWG File XREFs for more information.
HOOPS (2018) .hsf, .hmf
IFC .ifc
IGES (5.1, 5.2, 5.3) .iges, .igs
JT (Up to v10.5) .jt

.JT data format files do not support Product Manufacturing Information (PMI).
NX (Unigraphics) (11.0 to 18.0, NX to NX12, NX1847 Series to NX1980 Series) .prt
Wavefront OBJ .obj

Limited functionality is available with these files.
Parasolid (Up to v33.1) .x_b, .x_t, .xmt, .xmt_txt
Solid Edge (V19-20, ST - ST10, 2021) .par, .pwd, .psm, .asm

eDrawings 2021 opens Solid Edge 2019 files.

eDrawings 2022 opens Solid Edge 2020 files.

Solid Edge files do not support PMI.
STEP (AP 203 E1/E2, AP 214, AP 242) .step, .stp, .stpz
STL .stl
XML Paper Specification (XPS) .edrwx, .eprtx, .easmx

You generate XPS files in SOLIDWORKS with Save As and work with them in eDrawings the same as eDrawings files.

If eDrawings is installed on a computer, double-clicking an XPS file opens it in eDrawings rather than in the XPS Viewer.

You can distribute XPS files to users with either the XPS Viewer or the eDrawings Viewer.