Formats · one block, every format
Every block of cadblock.org comes in the four 2D formats, DWG and DXF in meters and in inches, SVG and PNG, and every block with a 3D model in five more: STEP, OBJ, GLB, 3MF and STL. Each block page downloads them one by one, with no account; each format has its own page with every block in it, by category and library.
AutoCAD drawing
DWG is the native file of AutoCAD and the format most offices exchange drawings in. Every block here is saved twice, once drawn in meters and once in inches, so it drops into a metric or an imperial drawing at its real size without scaling.
Drawing Exchange Format
DXF describes the same geometry as the DWG in an open text format that almost any CAD, CAM or vector program can read. It is the safe choice when you work outside AutoCAD or send a block to a laser cutter or a CNC router.
Scalable Vector Graphics
SVG keeps the drawing as clean vector lines for diagrams, presentation boards, mood boards and the web. Lines stay sharp at any size and can be recolored or restyled in a design program.
Transparent image
PNG gives each drawing as an image with a transparent background, ready to place over a photo, a rendering or a slide without a white box around it.
Solid model
STEP carries the 3D model as true solids, with each part named and colored, so it can be measured, edited and used in engineering and furniture design software.
Mesh with materials
OBJ is the most widely read 3D mesh format. The model comes with a material file so each part keeps its color in rendering and visualization programs.
glTF binary
GLB packs the mesh, materials and colors into one compact file made for the web, real-time engines and augmented reality. It is the same model the 3D viewer on each page shows.
3D printing, at scale
3MF is ready for 3D printing, with the model already scaled for architectural models at 1:50 and 1:100 as well as at full size.
3D printing mesh
STL is the universal 3D printing format. Each model is a single closed mesh at full size in millimeters; scale it in the slicer to the size of your architectural model.
| You are working on | Format | Files |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, DraftSight or ZWCAD | DWG | Meters and inches, two files |
| Another CAD program, a laser cutter or a CNC router | DXF | Meters and inches |
| Diagrams, presentation boards, the web | SVG | Full size, 1 unit = 1 mm |
| Slides, documents and photo overlays | PNG | High resolution, transparent background |
| Engineering and furniture design: SolidWorks, Fusion, FreeCAD | STEP | Millimeters, one solid per part |
| Renderings: Blender, 3ds Max, Twinmotion, Lumion, Enscape | OBJ | Meters, Y up |
| The web, augmented reality, Unity and Unreal | GLB | Meters, Y up |
| 3D printing an architectural model at 1:50 or 1:100 | 3MF | 1:1, 1:50 and 1:100 (¼ in = 1 ft, ⅛ in = 1 ft) |
| Any slicer or 3D printing service | STL | Millimeters, 1:1 |
7' 4" × 2' 9" in plan, with its front and side elevations and a 3D model. On its page:
DWG. Each block comes as two DWG files, one drawn in meters and one in inches, saved as AutoCAD 2013 so every version since then opens it.
Their DWG import reads the DWG of any block; SketchUp and Vectorworks also read the DXF. For a 3D object in SketchUp, use the OBJ or the STEP of the blocks that have a 3D model.
The 3MF, already scaled for architectural models at 1:50 and 1:100 as well as at full size, with closed parts that slice without repairs. The STL is the same model at 1:1 in millimeters for any slicer.
Yes. Every file of every format is free for personal and commercial projects; a link back is appreciated.
So a block drops into a metric or an imperial drawing at its real size without scaling: one file is drawn in meters, the other in inches.
No: 506 blocks have a 3D model, and those come in STEP, OBJ, GLB, 3MF and STL. Every block has the four 2D formats.