Open an Archicad File Without Archicad
Received a .pln from an architect? Open the building in your browser and review its spaces, structure and site. The free viewer reads your file directly on your device, with no Archicad license or plugin required.
Free local viewing. No installation, upload or account required.
Review the file your architect sent
A PLN is the working project file used by Archicad. Receiving one often means the architect has shared the building itself, with geometry you can explore from different viewpoints. A browser viewer gives clients, consultants and contractors a way to take part in that review using the file already in hand.
Start with the questions that benefit from a 3D view: how the roof meets the walls, where an opening sits, how the terrace is supported, or how the building relates to its ground. Orbiting around the model can help locate the exact area to discuss with the author. Keep the author’s issued drawings alongside the model when your review depends on dimensions, specifications or construction instructions.
How to open the Archicad file
- 1
Save the project to your device
Download the .pln or .pla attachment from your project team. Keep the original file available for the review.
- 2
Open the Archicad viewer
Visit innerscene.com/tools/archicad-viewer. Choose your file or drag it into the viewer. The browser reads the project locally.
- 3
Review the building from several angles
Orbit, pan and zoom around the decoded geometry. Inspect the wall openings, roof and floor arrangement, then look at the terrain and supporting structure.
- 4
Prepare the next conversation
Use the visible building to identify the location of your question. Export a view as PDF or save decoded geometry in a supported format when your review needs a separate file.
To try the same workflow immediately, open the live pavilion PLN. It loads a real building with wall openings, a pitched roof, a terrace structure and terrain.
What the viewer can show
Building envelope
Supported walls include door and window openings cut through their host walls. Slabs and pitched roofs give the building its floor and roof surfaces.
Structure and spaces
Supported beams, columns and zones help you inspect the structure and spatial arrangement saved in the project.
Site and custom geometry
Supported morphs, meshes and terrain place the building and its custom forms in context.
Saved project preview
The embedded project preview, when present, gives you the image saved with the project as another reference for the review.
Door and window support means the opening cut through the wall. The supported scope comes from the element records the reader can decode. Files from Archicad 25, 27 and 29 have been tested; project-specific geometry can affect what appears.
Keep confidential reviews on your device
When you choose a local file, the browser reads and parses it on your machine. Opening and navigating the building require no upload, conversion service or account. That makes the local viewing workflow useful for project teams reviewing a confidential design, a client’s home or an unreleased development.
Choose a follow-up action to suit the review. A PDF captures the current view; GLB, STL and OBJ carry decoded geometry into other tools. The PLN to DWG workflow creates DXF geometry locally, then sends that generated geometry to the server for DWG conversion. Opening the PLN remains local. Upload-based sharing is also an optional action you choose separately.
Use the model to make your next question precise
A contractor can point to a roof edge or wall opening, a client can discuss the relationship between rooms and the terrace, and a consultant can locate the relevant structure. The value is a shared spatial reference. The original PLN remains available to the architect for project edits and the next revision.
For the file-opening checklist and recovery steps, see how to open a PLN file online. For the storage and decoding details, read the PLN file format guide.
Frequently asked questions
â–¶Can I open a PLN file without an Archicad license?
Yes. Innerscene reads supported Archicad PLN and PLA files in your browser. Local viewing is free and requires no Archicad installation, plugin or account.
â–¶What can a client or contractor see?
Supported geometry includes walls with door and window openings cut through them, slabs, pitched roofs, zones, beams, columns, morphs, meshes and terrain. The reader also extracts an embedded project preview when one is saved. Coverage depends on the records and geometry in the project.
â–¶Which Archicad releases have been tested?
Files from Archicad 25, 27 and 29 have been decoded and tested. Individual element coverage depends on the saved representation, so use the displayed geometry to establish the scope of your review.
â–¶Does opening the file send my building model to a server?
Opening and viewing a local PLN or PLA happen on your device. The browser parses the selected file locally. Sharing by upload is a separate optional action, and the DWG export workflow sends generated geometry to the server for its final conversion.
â–¶Can I convert the project to DWG?
Yes. The PLN to DWG converter exports the geometry decoded by the viewer. It builds DXF geometry locally and sends that generated geometry to the server to create a DWG. Inspect the model first to confirm the elements you need are present.
â–¶Can I edit the original Archicad project here?
This viewer supports inspection and export of decoded geometry. Use Archicad for changes to the original project and its authoring settings, and send review questions back to the project author.
Explore a real Archicad building
The pavilion demo opens a PLN with the model rendered. Inspect its wall openings, pitched roof, terrace beams and columns, and terrain.
Open the Pavilion DemoArchicad is a trademark of Graphisoft. Innerscene provides this independent viewer.