G2

Sanyog L.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

6/29/2021

"CAD Assistant is hands down the best (Free) tool for CAD viewing and migration"

4.5/5

What do you like best about CAD Assistant?

CAD assistant is a free CAD viewer and migrator utility made with the Opencascade kernel. Some of the unique features of this utility are :

1. You can convert STEP files to .obj files and then use them inside Blender or any other animation tool. So, this makes it very easy to take the CAD files and render them out using a separate package.

2. It lets you view CAD files, manufacturing dimensions, sectional views, orthographic views, wireframe, and mesh views.

3. It supports a variety of formats (both mesh data and CAD data). Some of them include .step, .iges, .obj, .xt etc. For the entire list, you can check its documentation.

4. It lets you measure the linear dimensions of the part.

5. Allows importing multiple bodies.

6. Can extend its capabilities according to the company's requirements if necessary. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about CAD Assistant?

It would be easier if we could change the pivot point for the 3D viewport. That would make the viewer much easier to use. Also, I wish "CAD rays" (another Opencascade's fantastic tool) was integrated inside of this tool itself so that one could also render out images from a single tool. Also, the scripting feature available inside CAD rays is something that CAD Assistant would benefit from if it was made available. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering CAD Assistant:

It's a free tool. So, there's nothing much to think about if you want to choose this tool. However, I'd say this tool is a perfect demonstration of what the Opencascade kernel is capable of doing. I've been trying to learn Opencascade for a while to create specific CAD tools according to mine and my company's requirements. Go and make use of this lightweight, easy-to-use tool. Take it everywhere you go on your USB drive. You never know when it will come in handy. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is CAD Assistant solving and how is that benefiting you?

I used to render SOLIDWORKS using Visualize only. But, that tool was limited compared to other tools like Blender. Though SOLIDWORKS lets you convert the CAD files to obj directly., I've found using CAD assistant for exporting my CAD files much more efficient. It's a very compact tool, and I can carry it anywhere on my USB drive. So, wherever I go, I can view and export CAD files without the hassle of starting up large software like SOLIDWORKS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.