earthtojake/cad-viewer

CAD Viewer is a browser-based application for inspecting computer-aided design and robot description files. It is built with Vite and React and runs entirely in the browser without generating new files or starting any simulation software. The viewer is read-only: it discovers existing files in a directory and displays them, but does not create or modify anything. The formats it supports include STEP and STP for traditional CAD parts and assemblies, STL and 3MF for 3D printing files, GLB for binary 3D models, DXF for 2D flat patterns, and URDF, SRDF, and SDF for robot description files used in robotics. Files are found by scanning a workspace directory you configure. For STEP files, the viewer looks for hidden companion files in the GLB format stored alongside the original. These companions can include assembly structure information and allow face picking and edge picking in the 3D view. Clicking a face or edge copies a reference string you can paste into other tools. URDF and SDF files are parsed from XML, and if joints are defined, sliders appear so you can move them interactively in the browser. The viewer can run as a development server or be built as a static site pointed at a fixed file directory. URL query parameters hold the currently selected file and any copied CAD references, making specific views shareable by link. A separate command-line snapshot tool is included for generating still images, animated GIFs of parametric model parameters, SVG cross-sections, and parts lists, using the same scene engine as the browser app. The README is written for developers iterating on the viewer package itself, not end users, and covers build commands, environment variables, and the verification steps expected before submitting changes.