Step iges file visualization in-browser

[jaromil]

Best Open Source STEP File Visualization Components for Browser

Based on comprehensive research across GitHub, GitLab, and other repositories, here are the 3 best open source STEP file visualization components that can display STEP files in-browser, prioritizing MIT/Apache licensing:

1. Online3DViewer - MIT License ⭐

Online3DViewer is the most comprehensive solution for browser-based STEP file visualization. This mature project offers excellent STEP support through its occt-import-js integration.¹

Key Features:

• Full STEP file support with high-quality rendering²¹
• Pure browser implementation - no backend required
• 3,100+ GitHub stars indicating strong community adoption¹
• MIT License - completely non-viral and commercial-friendly¹
• Advanced viewer capabilities including rotation, zoom, pan, and measurements
• Export functionality to multiple formats²
• Mobile-friendly with touch controls

Technical Implementation:

• Built with Three.js and WebGL for optimal performance¹
• Uses occt-import-js (WebAssembly port of OpenCascade) for STEP parsing²
• Supports both text and binary STEP files²
• Lightweight and fast loading

Usage: Available as both a complete web application and embeddable component.¹

2. Foxtrot - MIT/Apache Dual License ⭐

Foxtrot is an experimental but highly performant STEP viewer built from scratch by Formlabs. It represents cutting-edge technology for STEP file visualization.³⁴

Key Features:

• Exceptional performance - renders complex STEP files in under 1 second⁴
• Dual MIT/Apache 2.0 license - maximum flexibility for commercial use⁴
• WebAssembly support with browser demo available³
• Built in Rust for maximum performance and memory safety⁴
• Custom STEP parser designed for speed and accuracy
• WebGPU rendering for modern graphics capabilities

Technical Implementation:

• 8.7 KLOC of Rust plus auto-generated parser⁴
• WebAssembly compilation enables browser deployment⁴
• Constrained Delaunay triangulation for high-quality mesh generation³
• Near-native performance in browser environments⁴

Limitations: Still experimental and may not handle all STEP file variations. Best suited for performance-critical applications.⁴

3. three-cad-viewer - MIT License ⭐

three-cad-viewer is a specialized CAD viewer component that, while not directly supporting STEP files, provides excellent foundation for STEP visualization when combined with preprocessing.⁵⁶

Key Features:

• MIT License - completely permissive for commercial use⁶
• 275+ GitHub stars with active development⁶
• Pure Three.js implementation for maximum compatibility⁶
• Hierarchical model support with assembly tree navigation⁵
• Professional CAD features including measurements, clipping planes, and part isolation⁶
• NPM package availability for easy integration⁵

Technical Implementation:

• Tessellated geometry support - works with pre-processed STEP data⁵⁶
• Modern JavaScript/TypeScript architecture⁶
• Extensive API for customization and integration⁶
• Web component architecture for framework-agnostic use

STEP Integration: Requires STEP-to-tessellation preprocessing using tools like OpenCascade or similar converters, but provides superior viewing capabilities once geometry is processed.⁶

Additional Notable Mentions

CascadeStudio (MIT License): A full CAD kernel in the browser with STEP import/export capabilities. While primarily a modeling tool, it includes excellent STEP visualization features and runs entirely client-side.⁷⁸

Mayo (BSD-2-Clause License): Desktop application with strong STEP support, though not primarily browser-focused. However, its architecture could potentially be adapted for web use.⁹

Recommendation Summary

For maximum compatibility and ease of implementation, choose Online3DViewer. It offers the most complete solution with proven STEP support and MIT licensing.¹

For performance-critical applications where speed is paramount, Foxtrot provides exceptional rendering performance with dual MIT/Apache licensing.⁴

For custom implementations requiring extensive control over the viewing experience, three-cad-viewer offers the best foundation, though it requires STEP preprocessing.⁶

All three options provide non-viral licensing (MIT/Apache) suitable for commercial use and can be integrated into browser-based applications without backend dependencies.
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Footnotes

1. https://github.com/kovacsv/Online3DViewer ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. https://3dviewer.net/info ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. https://github.com/Formlabs/foxtrot ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. https://www.mattkeeter.com/projects/foxtrot/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

5. https://www.npmjs.com/package/three-cad-viewer/v/0.9.1-beta.5?activeTab=dependencies ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

6. https://github.com/bernhard-42/cad-viewer-widget ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

7. https://github.com/zalo/CascadeStudio ↩

8. https://zalo.github.io/CascadeStudio/ ↩

9. https://github.com/fougue/mayo ↩

10. https://github.com/chrisg123/staircase ↩

11. https://www.modelo.io/damf/article/2023/12/29/0526/5-best-step-file-viewers-for-3d-model-visualization ↩

12. https://www.reddit.com/r/FreeCAD/comments/197nm38/open_source_rendering_software_for_step_files/ ↩

13. https://www.mbx-if.org/home/mbx/resources/ ↩

14. https://www.reddit.com/r/threejs/comments/1b7sw3m/is_it_possible_render_step_file_with_full/ ↩

15. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/37479823/displaying-cad-images-with-javascript ↩

16. https://www.edrawingsviewer.com/view-cad-files-free ↩

17. https://github.com/usnistgov/SFA ↩

18. https://www.opencascade.com/products/cad-assistant/ ↩

19. https://cadexchanger.com/blog/how-to-load-3d-cad-data-into-three-js/ ↩

20. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/22597111/how-to-handle-dwg-files-in-c ↩

21. https://github.com/VolkanSah/STEP-Viewer-Pro ↩

22. https://openstepviewer.com ↩

23. https://old.opencascade.com/content/web3d-viewer ↩

24. https://github.com/mlight-lee/cad-viewer ↩

25. https://www.nist.gov/services-resources/software/step-file-analyzer-and-viewer ↩

26. https://dev.opencascade.org/project/step-file-analyzer ↩

27. https://sharecad.org ↩

28. https://dev.opencascade.org/project/mayo ↩

29. https://cad-viewer.com ↩

30. https://dev.opencascade.org/doc/occt-7.7.0/overview/html/occt_samples_webgl.html ↩

31. https://occt3d.com/components/light-web-viewer-component/ ↩

32. https://www.reddit.com/r/threejs/comments/wh0mns/what_is_the_best_opensource_3d_models_viewer_web/ ↩

33. https://www.jsdelivr.com/package/npm/three-dxf ↩

34. https://rufus31415.github.io/sandbox/3d-viewer/ ↩

35. https://github.com/InteractiveImpressions/opencascade.js-cad-viewer ↩

36. https://www.npmjs.com/package/three-cad-viewer/v/0.9.7?activeTab=dependents ↩

37. https://www.web3d.org/x3d-tools-and-resources ↩

38. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg6IamnlfxE ↩

39. https://github.com/ieskudero/three-dxf-viewer ↩

40. https://github.com/PQCMayo/MAYO-C ↩

41. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/75603196/how-to-use-stepcontrol-writer-in-opencascade-js ↩

42. https://cadviewer.com/cadviewertechdocs/licensekeys/ ↩

43. https://pypi.org/project/cad-viewer-widget/ ↩

44. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/27834498/is-there-any-possibilities-to-read-step-file-using-three-js-file ↩

45. https://github.com/LowLevelAcademy/wasm-modules ↩

46. https://discourse.threejs.org/t/is-there-any-way-to-load-step-file-using-three-js/2842 ↩

47. https://github.com/raydeleu/CascadeStudioManual ↩

48. https://github.com/gdsestimating/three-dxf ↩

49. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/eda/a-good-working-free-step-file-viewer-that-is-not-on-line/ ↩

50. https://codesandbox.io/examples/package/occt-import-js ↩

51. https://github.com/ghackenberg/opencascade-tools ↩

52. https://codesandbox.io/s/convert-step-file-to-glb-with-three-js-occt-import-js-v0-4-ckeuy5 ↩

53. https://dev.opencascade.org/content/viewer-webassembly-and-static-linking-single-webassembly ↩

54. https://hackaday.com/2020/09/30/hyper-links-and-hyperfunctional-text-cad/ ↩

55. https://ocjs.org ↩

56. https://github.com/kovacsv/occt-import-js ↩

57. https://www.reddit.com/r/opensource/comments/1cb1em6/how_should_i_license_my_first_github_project_that/ ↩

58. https://old.opencascade.com/content/occt-public-license ↩

59. https://acscadservices.com/best-free-step-file-viewer-for-2024/ ↩

60. https://dev.to/matheussricardoo/what-license-should-you-use-on-github-understanding-mit-apache-gpl-and-more-5976 ↩

61. https://dev.opencascade.org/resources/faq ↩

62. https://dev.opencascade.org/doc/overview/html/occt_contribution__git_guide.html ↩

63. https://spdx.org/licenses/OCCT-PL.html ↩

64. https://www.sheetmetalconnect.com/the-10-best-free-3d-cad-viewers-for-metalworking-sheet-metal-shops/ ↩

65. https://dev.opencascade.org/content/licensing-opencascade ↩

66. https://github.com/bernhard-42/three-cad-viewer ↩

[puria]

take account also that there some already built in react <3 we found in the past... guess the best one is the one build in thingiverse