Product comparison
CAD Viewer vs DWG Viewer vs CAD Editor — Which Should I Use?
Thingraph offers three free Google Drive™ apps on Google Workspace Marketplace. They share the same WebGL rendering engine (@x-viewer/core) but target different file types and workflows. This page helps you pick the right one — or install more than one.
Comparison at a glance
- DWG Viewer — 2D only: DWG, DXF. View, measure, markup. Best for AutoCAD drawing review.
- CAD Viewer — 2D and 3D: DWG, DXF, glTF, GLB, OBJ, FBX, STL, IFC, STP, STEP, IGS, IGES. View-only. Best if you work with both drawings and 3D models.
- CAD Editor — 3D only (same 3D formats as CAD Viewer). Adds scene editing (transform, delete, add primitives). Does not open DWG/DXF.
Supported formats by app
DWG Viewer
DWG, DXF
CAD Viewer
DWG, DXF, glTF, GLB, OBJ, FBX, STL, IFC, STP, STEP, IGS, IGES
CAD Editor
glTF, GLB, OBJ, FBX, STL, IFC, STP, STEP, IGS, IGES (no DWG/DXF)
Full format descriptions: Supported formats guide.
Features comparison
- All three — browser-based, no desktop install, Google Drive Open with, client-side rendering
- DWG Viewer & CAD Viewer (2D) — layers, layouts, 2D measurement, markup, screenshots
- CAD Viewer & CAD Editor (3D) — orbit/pan/zoom, section plane, 3D measurement, tree view
- CAD Editor only — edit scene: move/delete objects, add basic primitives, undo/redo for edits
Which app should I install?
Choose DWG Viewer if…
- You only receive AutoCAD DWG or DXF files
- You want the simplest Open with menu (2D only)
- You never need to preview 3D models from Drive
Choose CAD Viewer if…
- You work with both 2D drawings and 3D models
- You need IFC, STEP, glTF, or other 3D formats in addition to DWG
- You only need to view files, not edit 3D scenes
Choose CAD Editor if…
- You work with 3D models only (no DWG/DXF)
- You need to adjust a scene — reposition parts, remove objects, add simple shapes
- Viewing alone is not enough; you need lightweight 3D editing in the browser
Can I use all three?
Yes. Install any combination from Install. Google Drive shows every installed app that supports the file’s extension in Open with. For a DWG file you might see both DWG Viewer and CAD Viewer; for a GLB file you would see CAD Viewer and CAD Editor.
Local (non–Google Drive) equivalents
Without Google Drive, use these pages on the same site:
- DWG Viewer — upload local DWG/DXF
- CAD Viewer — upload local 2D or 3D files
- CAD Editor — upload and edit local 3D models