3D-Tool vs ABViewer
3D-Tool
3d-tool.com
ABViewer
cadsofttools.comSide by side
| Figure | 3D-Tool | ABViewer |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $6.42/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 7 |
| Spec score · CAD Viewer Software | 9.1 (#1) | 8.3 (#9) |
| Founded | The company says it has developed 3D-Tool since 1999 and has sold more than 50,000 licences worldwide. | 2001 |
| Intended users | The product is positioned for business teams including toolmaking, manufacturing, quality assurance, purchasing, engineering and technical documentation. | The maker describes ABViewer Professional for metalworking, CNC programming, and machine building, including shop-floor and office use. |
| Support | The company says license prices include free support and provides support by email and phone. | Technical support is free within the product's major version and is offered by online chat, email, phone, forum, and remote-control sessions. |
| Trial | The free trial lasts 14 days from receipt of the trial key and unlocks all functions and import formats. | The maker offers a free 30-day trial of ABViewer. |
Plans
3D-Tool
- 3D-Tool Free ViewerFree
- Free ViewerFree
- 3D-Tool Basic€200, paid once
- Basic€200, paid once
- 3D-Tool Advanced€400, paid once
- Advanced€400, paid once
- 3D-Tool Premium€800, paid once
- Premium€800, paid once
ABViewer
- Professional — user license, three-month subscription$30 a month
- Professional — floating license, three-month subscription$61 a month
- Professional — user license, one-year subscription$77 a year
- Enterprise — one-year license$154 a year
- Professional — floating license, one-year subscription$154 a year
- Professional — user lifetime license$189, paid once
- Professional — floating lifetime license$383, paid once
In their own words
3D-Tool
3D-Tool is a Windows CAD viewer and converter for opening, inspecting, measuring, analyzing and converting 3D models and 2D drawings without a separate CAD system. It reads more than 30 3D formats and supports DXF, DWG and HPGL drawings, though available formats depend on license edition. Measurement tools cover distances, angles, radii, wall thicknesses and clearances, and calculate centers of mass, surface areas, contour lengths and minimum bounding boxes. Analysis includes tooling, wall thickness, collisions and model comparison, with results shown as heatmaps. Models can be exported as EXE files or 3D-PDF; Premium adds 3D-HTML conversion and native interfaces for listed CAD systems. The Free Viewer opens DDD, STL and 3MF files, has no time limit or registration requirement, and permits commercial use. Paid single-user licenses are one-time purchases: Basic is € 200, Advanced € 400 and Premium € 800, plus VAT. A 14-day trial unlocks all functions and import formats.
ABViewer
ABViewer lets users view, edit, measure, convert, and print CAD files, 3D models, and raster images. It supports CAD, vector, 3D, complex, raster, and archive formats including DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, PDF, STL, SVG, and ZIP. For 2D drawings, users can manage layers, blocks, dimension and text styles, snapping, comments, and markups. Measurement tools cover 3D distances, face heights, surface areas, and curvilinear edge radii, with section-view creation. Conversion options include STL, OBJ, DWG/DXF, supported 2D formats, and STEP or SAT/SAB export for parametric models. The software can generate CNC G-code from 2D drawings. Enterprise adds PDF-to-DWG/DXF conversion, batch conversion and printing, file comparison, and command-line features. ABViewer runs on Linux and Windows; Windows downloads include 32-bit and 64-bit version 16 builds. A free 30-day trial is available. Paid options include subscriptions and lifetime licenses. Professional user licensing starts at $30 a month, billed every three months.