Free Online GenCAD Viewer (No Signup)
Also opens DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, IFC, SKP, STL, OBJ, GLB, FBX, 3DM and other 3D/CAD files. Drop any file on the viewer.
Works directly in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
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What Is a GenCAD File?
GenCAD (the Generic CAD exchange format, versions 1.x, from Mitron) describes a finished circuit board in one text file: the board outline, the pads and padstacks, the shape of every part, where each part is placed and on which side, the nets, and the copper tracks and vias. Cadence Allegro and OrCAD, PADS, Altium, Mentor and KiCad all export it for in-circuit test, flying probe and assembly machines.
Laptop and phone repair technicians know it as a boardview: the .cad files that come with motherboards such as the Compal, Quanta and Wistron LA-xxxxP boards are GenCAD exports. The viewer reads the file in your browser and draws the board the way the Gerber viewer draws a fabrication package: each copper layer in its own colour, every pad of every part, vias and drill holes, component outlines, and each part’s reference designator centred on it. Parts on the bottom side are mirrored onto the bottom layers, and every layer toggles on its own.
The board exports like any drawing, for example to DXF, PDF or SVG.
Who Uses GenCAD Files?
PCB designers export GenCAD for test and assembly houses, and test engineers program fixtures and flying probers from it. Repair technicians use boardview .cad files to find a part by its reference designator on a laptop or phone motherboard. This page opens those files in any browser, with no boardview software to install and no sign-in.
Common Use Cases
- Open a laptop or phone boardview .cad without installing boardview software
- Find a part on the board by its reference designator, on the top or the bottom side
- Check the copper on each layer, the vias and the drill holes
- Look at a board a design team exported for test or assembly
- Save the board as a PDF, SVG or DXF for a report or a fixture drawing
- Send a share link that opens the board in any browser
Features
Opens GenCAD and Boardview .cad Files
GenCAD files from Allegro, OrCAD, PADS, Altium and KiCad, and laptop boardview .cad files, loose or inside a .zip, .rar or .7z.
Copper Layer by Layer
Top, bottom and inner layers, each in its own colour, with tracks at their widths.
Every Pad of Every Part
Round, rectangular and polygon pads and padstacks, placed with each part’s rotation.
Vias and Drill Holes
Vias and the holes of through-hole pins, with the hole count in the info panel.
Part Labels
Every part’s reference designator, centred on the part and sized to fit, on their own top and bottom layers.
Bottom Side Mirrored
Bottom-side parts are mirrored onto the bottom layers, as on the real board.
Layers You Can Toggle
Switch copper, outlines, silkscreen, labels and holes on and off one by one.
Real Size in Millimetres
Inches, mils and user units are converted to millimetres, so measurements match the board.
Convert to DXF, PDF or SVG
Save the board as SVG, vector PDF, DXF or DWG, or as a PNG or JPG picture.
Nothing Is Uploaded
The file is read and drawn entirely in your browser. No account, no upload, no copy of your board on a server.
Share and Embed
Send a link that opens the board in any browser, or drop the viewer into your own page with one iframe.
Compatibility & Format Notes
What is drawn: the board outline (lines, arcs and circles); the copper on the top, the bottom and every inner layer that carries tracks, with tracks at their widths; every pad of every placed part (round, rectangular and polygon pads, and padstacks); vias; the drill holes of through-hole pins and vias; component outlines and silkscreen graphics for each side; and each part’s reference designator, centred on the part and sized to fit it. Bottom-side parts are mirrored onto the bottom layers. The bottom outlines, silkscreen and labels start hidden and switch on in the Layers panel.
Files: GenCAD 1.x files (.cad, .gcd) in inches, mils, millimetres or user units, all shown in millimetres, loose or inside a .zip, .rar or .7z. Files are recognised by their content, so a renamed board still opens. The info panel gives the board size and the number of copper layers, holes, parts, nets and vias. A .cad file from another program opens to a notice that says what the viewer reads.
Not drawn: copper pours and planes (GenCAD does not carry them), solder mask and paste openings unless the file lists them, test points as a layer of their own, net highlighting and pin-to-net lookup (nets are counted), and a 3D view of the board.
Embed on Your Website
Add this viewer to your own site with a single line of HTML. Click Embed in the toolbar to generate an embed code, or use the snippet below with your own file URL.
Your Files Stay on Your Computer
Your GenCAD files are parsed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored, or shared unless you explicitly click the Share button. Shared files are hosted for 90 days then deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
▶Is a boardview .cad file a GenCAD file?
Most are. The .cad boardviews that come with laptop motherboards are GenCAD exports from the board design software, and they open here. Some boardview tools use encoded formats of their own under other names, and a few CAD programs also save .cad files; those open to a notice that says what the viewer reads.
▶How do I find a part on the board?
Every part is labelled with its reference designator, centred on the part. Zoom in on the area, or switch on the bottom labels in the Layers panel to see the parts on the other side.
▶Why are the bottom parts hidden?
The bottom copper is drawn under the top copper, and the bottom outlines and labels start hidden so the top side stays readable. Switch them on in the Layers panel, and hide the top layers to see the bottom on its own.
▶What about Gerber files?
A Gerber package describes the same board one layer per file. Drop the .zip of Gerbers and the drill file on the Gerber viewer and the whole board stacks up the same way.
▶Is this GenCAD viewer really free?
Yes, completely free. No signup, no watermarks, no file size limits on the viewer (the optional share-link feature has a 100 MB upload cap). Built by Innerscene as a tool for architects, engineers, and designers.
▶Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. All parsing, rendering, and conversion runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded, stored, or transmitted by default. The Share button is the only feature that uploads a file, and only when you explicitly click it.
▶Can I convert to another format?
Yes. Click Export in the toolbar. The menu offers SVG, PDF (vector), DXF, DWG (converted on our server), PNG, JPG and a self-contained HTML page.
▶Can I embed this viewer on my own site?
Yes. Click Embed in the toolbar to generate a one-line <iframe> snippet you can paste into any HTML page. You can choose whether the embed shows the viewer’s toolbar.
Allegro and OrCAD are trademarks of Cadence Design Systems; PADS is a trademark of Siemens; Innerscene is not affiliated with them.