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Now you can use your smart phone like iPhone or android as CAD viewer for DWG and DXF drawing files by installing the iPhone CAD app or android drawing apps. I will discuss here five such apps, some are for android and some are for iPhone and few of them are suitable for both the platforms.

1. AutoCAD WS

Strength:

–       Simple and intuitive user friendly GUI.

–       The DWG and DXF drawing files can be opened from e-mail attachment, web online work space and local storage.

–       Essential drawing editing options like move, rotate, scale, unit, snap, grid, save.

–       Essential viewing options like layers, pan, zoom, measurement.

Weakness:

–       Annotation scaling is not supported

–       Jogged dimension is not visible in AutoCAD WS.

–       You can select max. 30 objects at one go.

–       %% options of text are not supported.

Supported platforms: iPhone and Android

Cost: Free

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2. RapidCAD Viewer

Strength:

–      Basic viewing options like snapping, zooming, layer management are supported.

–      The DXF CAD drawing files can be browsed from local SD card, no account is required.

–      The drawings can be accommodated to portrait or widescreen (WS) mode.

Weakness:

–      DWG CAD file format is not supported yet.

–      Dimensioning is not supported yet.

–      Eclipse/elliptical arc are not supported yet.

Supported platforms: Android.

Cost: USD 9.99 for the full version, demo version also available.

3. AndCAD

Strength:

–      CAD objects creation features like line, circle, arc, note, polygon, dimensions.

–      The DXF CAD drawing files can be browsed from local SD card, no account is required.

–      Viewing options like snap, zoom, layer management.

–      Basic edition options like move, copy, rotate, scale.

–      DXF import and export options (beta).

–      The drawings can be accommodated to portrait or widescreen (WS) mode.

Weakness:

–      DWG CAD file format is not supported yet.

–      Trim, extend, mirror, offset are some of the options which are not supported yet.

Supported platforms: Android.

Cost: USD 19.99 for the full version, demo version also available.

4. AutoQ3D CAD

Strength:

–      Drawing creation options like line, circle, text, rectangle, and polygon.

–      Editing options like scale, move, rotate, mirror, offset, extend, trim and stretch.

–      The DXF CAD drawing files can be browsed from local SD card, no account is required.

–      Viewing options like pan zoom, rotate, snap, grid.

–      Isometric viewing is possible.

Weakness:

–      DWG CAD file format is not supported yet.

–      Complex curves are not supported yet.

Supported platforms: Android

Cost: USD 10

5. CARTOMAP CAD

Strength:

–      Support DWG/DXF/CTM CAD file formats.

–      Drawing creation options like line, circle, text, rectangle, axis, symbols and polygon.

–      Editing options like scale, move, rotate, extend, trim, undo, redo.

–      Layer management, hatching and selection options.

Weakness:

–      CAD drawing Print option is not supported yet.

–      Area fill hatch is not yet supported.

Supported platforms: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad

Cost: USD19.99

I will keep updating this list of iPhone, android CAD viewer for DWG, DXF and other format by adding new applications as I will find. Please leave a comment if you have anything to share on this subject.