What’s the difference between Edrawings and the 3DEXPERIENCE 3D viewer?

What is Edrawings, the free viewer from Dassault Systèmes?

eDrawings is a visualization, communication and collaboration tool for 2D and 3D designers and engineers. This free viewer has been around for twenty years, and is well known to 3D consultants. It enables you to share design data easily (in EDWG format, or via an executable file) and efficiently with internal and external colleagues, customers, suppliers and so on. eDrawings offers a rich set of features, such as animation, 2D and 3D measurement, section creation, augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and much more.

What is the 3DEXPERIENCE 3D Viewer?

The 3DEXPERIENCE Viewer is a web application that lets you view and interact with 3D and 2D models previously hosted on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It offers real-time navigation, annotation, filtering, comparison, simulation and collaboration functions. The 3DEXPERIENCE viewer is compatible with a wide range of CAD file formats, including CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, NX, Creo and more.

Edrawings VS 3DEXPERIENCE

The main difference between eDrawings and the 3DEXPERIENCE viewer is that eDrawing is a software application to be installed on a computer (On PREMISE) or mobile device, whereas the 3DEXPERIENCE viewer is a web application accessible from a browser (SAAS Cloud Solution). eDrawings therefore requires design files to be available locally or on a shared network, while the 3DEXPERIENCE viewer provides access to 3D models stored in the cloud. eDrawings also offers features specific to certain file formats, such as SOLIDWORKS configurations or animations, while the 3DEXPERIENCE viewer provides a more uniform experience whatever the file format.

To install eDrawings, you need administration rights for your workstation. Simple WEB access is all you need to access 3DEXPERIENCE.

The security of Dassault Systèmes’ CLOUD storage guarantees the highest level of protection for your data. it is generally accepted that sharing data from 3DEXPERIENCE is more secure than sending an e-drawing file (EDWG, EASM, EPRT) via e-mail or another platform. OUTSCALE, a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes, is SECNUMCLOUD certified.

Edrawings is available as a free download from the Solidworks website.

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform is available on a monthly subscription basis. You may also be interested in Solidworks online solutions

Carla-Lisa Giovannetti

Marketing & Communication Officer

I have the pleasure of managing XDI’s communications on all channels, especially here on the website!

Enjoy your reading :)