Free Online ArtCAM Relief 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
Also from Innerscene: Circadian Lab, a free lighting calculator for room illuminance, melanopic EML, and glare.
What Is an ArtCAM Relief File?
ArtCAM (made by Delcam, then Autodesk, and continued as Carveco) models decorative carving as reliefs: a rectangle of pixels in which every pixel holds a height. Doors, panels, signs, mouldings and medallions are built by combining reliefs, and the toolpaths that cut them are calculated from the heights. ArtCAM saves a relief on its own as an .rlf file, so reliefs are what carving libraries and marketplaces sell and share.
The viewer reads the file in your browser: its size in pixels and in millimetres or inches, its position, its height scale and the height of every pixel. The relief is drawn as one smooth-shaded surface, lying flat as it sits on the machine bed, at its stated size, with sides and a base that close it into a solid down to its lowest point. A very large relief (tens of millions of pixels) is averaged to about 1.5 million points so it stays quick to turn.
The relief exports to STL, OBJ, 3MF and the other formats in the Export menu, for 3D printing, other CAM programs or rendering.
Who Uses ArtCAM Relief Files?
CNC woodcarvers, sign makers, furniture and door makers, stone and memorial carvers, and the designers who sell relief models to them. Customers checking a relief they bought before cutting it, and shops that have moved on from ArtCAM and still hold a library of .rlf files.
Common Use Cases
- Check a relief bought from a model library before carving it
- Look at an old ArtCAM relief without an ArtCAM licence
- Measure the size and depth of a carving
- Convert an .rlf to STL for a 3D printer or another CAM program
- Send a customer a link to the design
Features
Opens ArtCAM .rlf
Reliefs saved by ArtCAM and Carveco, also inside a .zip.
Real Size
Width, height and depth in the millimetres or inches the file stores, at its saved position.
Smooth Shading
The surface is shaded from its heights, so the carving reads the way it will in wood.
Large Reliefs
Tens of millions of pixels are averaged to about 1.5 million points and turn smoothly.
A Closed Solid
Sides and a base down to the lowest point, so an STL or 3MF export is ready to print.
Convert to STL, OBJ or 3MF
Save the relief as STL, OBJ, 3MF, GLB, glTF, PLY, FBX, USDZ or DAE, or the view as PDF, PNG or JPG.
Measure the Carving
Use Tools to measure its width, height and depth.
Nothing Is Uploaded
The file is read and drawn entirely in your browser. No account, no upload, no copy of your relief on a server.
Share and Embed
Send a link that opens the relief in any browser, or drop the viewer into your own page with one iframe.
Compatibility & Format Notes
What is read: the relief file ArtCAM and Carveco save: the size in pixels, the real width and height in millimetres or inches, the position, the height scale and the height of every pixel. Each pixel’s height is kept at the resolution the file stores (0.0004 mm for a relief with a 12 mm range).
How it is drawn: the relief lies on the ground with its heights pointing up, at its saved position. Reliefs up to 1.5 million pixels are drawn pixel for pixel; larger ones are averaged over squares of a few pixels, and the outline keeps the exact stated size. The sides and base drop to the lowest point of the relief and add no thickness of their own.
Not read: ArtCAM project files (.art and .aspx), which hold vectors, bitmaps and toolpaths besides the relief, and the small preview picture stored at the end of the file. Save the relief from the project as an .rlf to open it here. ArcGIS report layouts also end in .rlf; those open as text.
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 ArtCAM Relief 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
▶Do I need ArtCAM to open an .rlf file?
No. The file is read in your browser, so it opens on a computer or a phone with no ArtCAM or Carveco licence.
▶Is the relief shown at its real size?
Yes. The width, height and depth are the ones saved in the file, in millimetres or inches, and Tools measures them directly.
▶Can I convert an RLF to STL?
Yes. Open the file and click Export. The relief saves as STL, OBJ, 3MF, GLB, glTF, PLY, FBX, USDZ or DAE as a closed solid, ready for a slicer or another CAM program.
▶Why does a large relief look slightly softer than in ArtCAM?
A relief with more than 1.5 million pixels is averaged over squares of a few pixels so it turns smoothly in the browser. The size and the overall depth do not change; the finest tool marks can.
▶Is this ArtCAM relief 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 to save as STL (3D printing), OBJ (Wavefront), GLB (glTF binary), or PDF (snapshot of the current view).
▶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.