# CAD People Step On In **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [February 17, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256 "2011-02-17T08:11:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ProgRocker](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/progrocker/32/5434_2.png) [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/1 "2011-02-17T08:11:42Z")
Ok here’s the dilemma. We have blueprints that were made for us by a third party. We have 0 machines on campus that have AutoCAD installed. I did download the viewer (which is rather large) and that could work. But, what we ultimately want to do is share the blueprints with select people via a server, with no local software needed. Can this be done? ---
**Author:** ![Fry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fry/32/7284_2.png) [@Fry](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Fry)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:30am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/2 "2011-02-17T08:30:08Z")
Print to PDF? ---
**Author:** ![TrueBlue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/trueblue/32/7245_2.png) [@TrueBlue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TrueBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:32am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/3 "2011-02-17T08:32:06Z")
Yeah, .pdfs seem to work well for 2D ACAD, unless I’m misunderstanding something here. ---
**Author:** ![ProgRocker](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/progrocker/32/5434_2.png) [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/4 "2011-02-17T08:41:23Z")
Yeah that _would_ work but we want to be able to somewhat interact (move, zoom, rotate) with the blue prints. We’d like them centrally stored so they could be viewed on campus or off. ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/5 "2011-02-17T08:56:25Z")
There are some programs that will be able to view autocad files, but ultimately everyone that views it is going to need some sort of CAD software to do what you are saying. (Move, zoom, rotate) ---
**Author:** ![rdandy5875](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/rdandy5875/32/7511_2.png) [@rdandy5875](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rdandy5875)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 9:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/6 "2011-02-17T09:06:24Z")
We pdf print all our detail drawings so we can view/use them at any terminal, and it works well. You will be able to zoom in and pan around in a pdf, rotate would be a pain but can also be done… ---
**Author:** ![jay\_g](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jay_g/32/111288_2.png) [@jay\_g](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jay_g)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 9:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/7 "2011-02-17T09:14:42Z")
You can zoom, and rotate a .pdf but if you want to change something you will need some type of autodesk software or another cad program to import them into. ---
**Author:** ![unibagel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/da6949/32.png) [@unibagel](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/unibagel)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 12:14pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/8 "2011-02-17T12:14:44Z")
SolidWorks has a free viewer called “eDrawings” that will do all that. They also have a 2D CAD Program that is actually better that AutoCAD. Granted I’m slightly biased as I am a Certified SolidWorks Professional. LOL. PM me if you need help… [http://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/free-cad-software-downloads.htm](http://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/free-cad-software-downloads.htm) ---
**Author:** ![LUKE\_L](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/luke_l/32/7462_2.png) [@LUKE\_L](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LUKE_L)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/9 "2011-02-17T14:05:27Z")
+1 on .pdf > [@rdandy5875](#): > > You will be able to zoom in and pan around in a pdf, rotate would be a pain but can also be done… You can rotate .pdf easily: Clockwise 90°: CTRL + Shift + “+” Counterclockwise 90°: CTRL + Shift + “-” ---
**Author:** ![walter](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/walter/32/7202_2.png) [@walter](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/walter)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/10 "2011-02-17T14:49:21Z")
ProE allows you to export models to PDFs that you can rotate… pretty cool. No eDrawings viewer required. ---
**Author:** ![ProgRocker](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/progrocker/32/5434_2.png) [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/11 "2011-02-17T15:04:45Z")
> [@LUKE\_L](#): > > +1 on .pdf > > You can rotate .pdf easily: > > Clockwise 90°: CTRL + Shift + “+” > Counterclockwise 90°: CTRL + Shift + “-” I can sure…But some of our users dont know where the shift key is located. Apparently AutoDesk has a site to upload and share them via online accounts…we are going to try that…if it sucks I’ll definitely be doing the PDFs ---
**Author:** ![Paulo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/paulo/32/7328_2.png) [@Paulo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Paulo)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/12 "2011-02-17T15:05:51Z")
I thought you meant rotate a model. Nevermind. PDFs are the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![ProgRocker](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/progrocker/32/5434_2.png) [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/cad-people-step-on-in/209256/13 "2011-02-17T15:17:33Z")
> [@Paulo](#): > > I thought you meant rotate a model. Nevermind. > > PDFs are the way to go. Nope, 2-D blueprints…I honestly don’t know why they need to view them…but they are VPs so can’t argue.