What is an SLDDRW file?
An SLDDRW file contains the 2D drawings created from a SOLIDWORKS model. A drawing is organized into one or more sheets, each with a format and title block, and each sheet holds drawing views of a part or assembly, such as standard, section or detail views, along with dimensions, tolerances, notes and other annotations.
The drawing references the SLDPRT and SLDASM files it documents, so when the model changes, the drawing updates. The format is proprietary, and it is part of the wider family of SOLIDWORKS file formats.
How is an SLDDRW file organized?
| Element | Description |
| Sheets | Pages of the drawing, each with a size, orientation, standard and sheet format |
| Drawing views | 2D projections of the referenced model, placed on a sheet |
| Annotations | Dimensions, tolerances, notes, symbols and tables |
| Model references | Links to the SLDPRT and SLDASM files shown in the views |
| Document properties | Units, author, version and other metadata |
What Is SLDDRW Used For? Applications and Industry Use Cases
SLDDRW files are the manufacturing documentation of products designed in SOLIDWORKS. They are shared with machine shops, suppliers, quality teams and customers, who use them to produce, inspect and approve parts and assemblies.
For software developers, reading SLDDRW files lets an application display SOLIDWORKS drawings outside SOLIDWORKS, for example in viewers, manufacturing or collaboration tools, and convert them for users of 2D CAD systems. This is especially useful in mixed-CAD environments where partners do not all use SOLIDWORKS.
Challenges or Common Pitfalls
A drawing is only meaningful together with the model it documents. Applications that receive SLDDRW files without their referenced parts and assemblies, or with outdated versions of them, may not be able to show what the designer intended.
It is also important to distinguish between viewing a drawing and editing it. Many workflows only need an accurate display of sheets, views and notes, while others expect editable 2D geometry and structured dimensions. Developers should check which of these a translator provides before designing a workflow around it.
Some content, such as embedded images and OLE objects, may not be available outside SOLIDWORKS.
How Spatial Helps
Our 3D InterOp SDK imports SOLIDWORKS drawing files without requiring a SOLIDWORKS license. Drawings are brought in as visualization data that your application can use to render them: meshes, wires, points and notes, with graphical symbols delivered as polylines so that every symbol type can be displayed.
Since Release 2026 1.0.1, 3D InterOp also reads sheet properties such as height, width, format, standard and orientation, and organizes the content of each sheet into drawing view nodes. Document information such as units, author, version and modification date is available as well.
Imported drawing sheets can then be exported to DWG or DXF, where sheets map to paper space and curves, points and notes map to AutoCAD entities. SOLIDWORKS drawings are imported only; writing SLDDRW files is not supported.