Quick answer · 2 minutes
No browser opens a raw .SLDPRT / .SLDASM file, OmniView included. An export to STEP (.stp, AP214) solves it:
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Ask the sender for a STEP (.stp, AP214) export: they are the one with SolidWorks.
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Hello, I can't open the SolidWorks file (.SLDPRT / .SLDASM) you sent me: I don't have the software. Could you send it exported as STEP (.stp, AP214)? From SolidWorks: File → Save As… → type STEP AP214 (.step); for an assembly, tick “Save all components”. It takes about thirty seconds. If it's easier, you can also send it as a 3D link from omniview3d.com (free): I'll open it in my browser, with nothing to install. Thank you!
Open SLDPRT or SLDASM files without a SolidWorks licence: eDrawings for native files, or export to STEP and view it in any browser, shareable by link.
SolidWorks (.SLDPRT for parts, .SLDASM for assemblies) is the most widely used CAD software in mechanical engineering. But a license costs $4,000–$8,000 per year. If you receive a SolidWorks file from a supplier or colleague and don't have a license, you're stuck. Important: no browser-based tool, OmniView 3D included, can open a raw .SLDPRT or .SLDASM file directly, since it's a proprietary binary format only SolidWorks itself can read. This guide shows you the actual two-minute workaround: export to STEP, then view it online for free.
.SLDPRT and .SLDASM are Dassault Systèmes' proprietary binary formats, there is no public specification, so no independent viewer (browser-based or desktop) can parse them without licensing SolidWorks' own engine. The practical workaround, used across the industry, is to export the file to STEP (ISO 10303), the neutral CAD format every CAD system reads and writes. The export takes less than a minute inside SolidWorks and preserves the exact geometry.
STEP is not a lossy screenshot: it is ISO 10303, the neutral CAD standard every system reads and writes, and it carries the exact B-Rep solid geometry. Its most advanced part, ISO 10303-242 (STEP AP242), even preserves assembly structure and PMI. Getting the format right matters beyond convenience: a landmark study for NIST estimated that imperfect CAD interoperability costs more than one billion dollars per year in the U.S. automotive supply chain alone. And the tools are moving to the browser: the global 3D CAD software market was worth about USD 10.38 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 17.34 billion by 2030, a 6.7% CAGR, per Grand View Research, a shift a STEP-to-web workflow rides directly.
eDrawings is Dassault Systèmes' official free SolidWorks viewer, and it's the only option that opens native .SLDPRT/.SLDASM files directly, but it requires local installation on both sides. OmniView 3D requires zero installation and works from a STEP export: the link opens in any browser. The trade-off is native-file support versus frictionless sharing.
| Capability | OmniView 3D (from STEP) | eDrawings |
|---|---|---|
| Opens native .SLDPRT / .SLDASM | No (STEP export first) | Yes |
| Runs in the browser, no install | Yes | No, desktop/app install |
| Recipient needs nothing installed | Yes, a link | No, needs eDrawings |
| Shareable link, private by default | Yes, revocable | No |
| Website embed (iFrame) | Yes | No |
| Exploded view of assemblies | Yes | Yes |
In short: reach for eDrawings when you must open a native SolidWorks file on your own machine, and for OmniView 3D when the goal is to put the model in front of a client, buyer or supplier who has nothing installed. On OmniView 3D each model is private by default, a share link is published only if you choose to and can be revoked at any time, and files are hosted in the EU (AWS eu-west-1) under GDPR. If you handle sensitive parts, see our guide to protecting IP when sharing CAD files, or start from the free STEP file viewer.
Two questions usually follow once the file is open. If the part has to go to a client or supplier with no CAD seat, our comparison of tools to send 3D files to clients lays out the options. And if your partner asks for IGES rather than STEP, this STEP vs IGES breakdown explains which one to send and why.
Sources: ISO 10303, STEP; NIST / RTI, cost of CAD interoperability (automotive); 3D CAD software market, Grand View Research.
If you have SolidWorks, export the file to STEP (File → Save As → .step), then upload the STEP file to an online STEP viewer like OmniView 3D, no license needed to view it afterward. If you don't have SolidWorks yourself and received a .SLDPRT/.SLDASM file, ask the sender for a STEP export, or use eDrawings Viewer (free from Dassault), which opens native SolidWorks files directly.
For browser-based sharing from a STEP export, OmniView 3D is the best option: no installation, a shareable link, and it works on mobile. For opening native .SLDPRT/.SLDASM files directly, eDrawings (Dassault) is the official free option but requires installation on both sides.
Yes, via a STEP export (AP214 or AP242 preserve assembly structure). Export the full assembly from SolidWorks to STEP, then upload it to OmniView 3D, the exploded view lets you separate and inspect individual components interactively.
No. Once you've uploaded the STEP export, the shareable link opens the OmniView 3D web viewer directly, no SolidWorks, no eDrawings, no software required on the recipient's side. They just click the link, on desktop or mobile.
You share a STEP export, not the native SolidWorks part, so the recipient sees the geometry without your feature tree or design history. On OmniView 3D each model is private by default; a share link is only published if you choose to, and it can be revoked at any time. Files are hosted in the EU (AWS eu-west-1) under GDPR and are never used to train an AI.
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In your browser, no account: the file stays on your computer. A free account then gives you a share link your client opens with no software.
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