How do I preview DWG and DXF files in Brault?

Brault opens DWG and DXF drawings in the file viewer as a multipage PDF preview, one page per sheet and up to 20 sheets, so you can look at a drawing in the browser without AutoCAD. The original .dwg or .dxf stays in your library unchanged, and the Download button always gets that original. CAD previews work on every plan, Free included.

Open a drawing in the file viewer

1. Upload the .dwg or .dxf file to a library or folder, like any other file.
2. Wait for the thumbnail of the first sheet to appear in the grid. While Brault prepares the preview, the file viewer shows Your file is being processed. It will be available soon.
3. Click the file. The drawing opens in the PDF viewer, with the note Converted preview. Download the original for exact formatting. under it.

Move between sheets

Each sheet of the drawing is one page of the preview. Click a page in the thumbnail sidebar to jump to it, or use the ↑ and ↓ keys to page through. A drawing with more than 20 sheets shows the first 20.

Download the original drawing

Click Download in the file viewer. You get the original .dwg or .dxf exactly as it was uploaded, not the converted preview. The preview itself is not offered as a download. If Brault answers You don't have permission to download this file. or This link doesn't allow downloads., your role or the shared link you opened does not include downloads; What can visitors do with each access level? explains which links include downloads.

Find drawings by the text on them

Brault reads the text written on the drawing: the title block, notes and annotations, and layer names. Search for a drawing number, a client name or a revision note to find the drawing that carries it. The Documents type filter lists DWG and DXF files together with PDFs and office documents. Find similar in a drawing's menu returns files that look like it; the image upload in the search bar accepts images only, so it does not take a .dwg or .dxf.

What the preview does not show

• Measuring, layers and editing. The preview is for viewing, commenting and sharing. Draw mode is not available on CAD files.
• External references (xrefs). Only the content of the drawing you uploaded appears, not the files it references.
• Embedded objects from other CAD tools. DXF files and DWGs drawn in AutoCAD render complete; drawings exported from other CAD software can lose an embedded title block.
• 3D content and CAD fonts. 3D content appears as a flat 2D view, and CAD-specific fonts are replaced by a close substitute.

The drawing shows only a file tile

1. It is still processing. Large drawings take longer. Reload the page after a few minutes.
2. It is over 200 MB. Brault stores and indexes drawings above 200 MB, but does not preview them. The size limits for every file type are in What file formats does Brault support?
3. The conversion did not succeed. A damaged drawing, or a file whose contents do not match its .dwg or .dxf extension, is stored and searchable by its text but gets no preview. Re-export the drawing from your CAD software and upload it again.

If none of this worked

Contact us from the support form and include the file name and roughly when you uploaded it. That's enough for us to find the drawing in the logs. We usually reply within one business day.