Not in the browser. Every free DWG reader we could find is GPL-licensed, which does not fit this viewer's MIT licence. A DWG is recognised and you are told how to save it as DXF, for example with the free ODA File Converter.

Are my files uploaded?

No. DXF and PDF files are read in your browser, and sheets are saved in that browser so they survive a reload.

Does a PDF keep its lines?

If it was exported from CAD, yes: its vector lines and text are read, so you can snap to real corners and export them to DXF. A scanned PDF is only a picture, and the sheet tells you so.

Does the generated plan hide what is behind other objects?

Not yet. Lines beyond the cut are crease and boundary edges with no hidden-line removal, so a dense floor can look busy. Reduce the depth, or set it to zero for the cut alone.

Back to the BIM & IFC blog

Tools & comparisons · 2026-11-02 · 4 min

Open DXF and PDF Plans Next to an IFC Model, in the Browser

The plan is in one program and the model in another, so every check means switching windows. Here they share one screen and one coordinate system, with nothing to install.

IFC building model on the left and its floor plan with filled walls on the right, in the same browser window

A plan arrives as a PDF, the model as an IFC, and checking one against the other means two programs and a lot of guessing. Open both here and they sit side by side, in the same metres.

Key takeaways

DXF and PDF open next to the 3D view, and a sheet can also lie in the 3D scene.
Two pairs of clicks align a sheet with the model.
Plans and sections are cut from the IFC, with filled walls and what lies beyond.
Export DXF, SVG or PDF, or a whole set as a ZIP.

A model, a scan and a plan on one screen

This loads a small IFC and a laser scan, then cuts the first floor plan by itself. Everything happens in your browser.

IFC model, point cloud and generated floor plan in one window

Open the interactive IFC viewer

Aligning a sheet with the model

Open the file Drop a DXF on the viewer, or use Open in the Drawings pane. It lands centred on what is already open, scaled by the units in the file.
Set the scale, if needed A PDF has no real units. Click both ends of a length you know and type it.
Match two points Click a corner on your sheet, then the same corner on the reference, twice. Scale, rotation and position are worked out, and you can still type exact values.

What the importer reads, and what it does not

Lines, polylines, arcs, splines, text, hatches, blocks and dimensions all come through, with their layers. Anything it cannot read, such as 3D solids, is counted and named on screen rather than silently dropped.

Drawings pane with its Scene, Create, Layers, Sheet and Output tabs beside an IFC model — The real app with the Poblenou demo model. The pane takes half the window and the model keeps running.

Open DXF and PDF Plans Next to an IFC Model, in the Browser