Folder viewer
Open a folder and browse its parts, assemblies and drawings as icons or details, with thumbnails, a folder tree, and quick filters by file type.
Free and open source
Read, preview and convert SOLIDWORKS files, with or without SOLIDWORKS.
SolidSeas opens a folder of parts, assemblies and drawings and shows you what is in them: thumbnails, properties, bills of materials and where each part is used. Export to STEP, STL or 3MF, and read STEP, Parasolid, 3MF and other 3D formats too.
The viewer download is for Windows. The library and command line run on Windows and Linux with Python 3.11 or newer.
Where it stands
SolidSeas is pre-1.0 and says plainly which parts are ready and which are still taking shape.
Stable
Library, command line and REST service
Public names, JSON, exit codes and routes change only under the project's stability policy, apart from what the docs mark provisional.
Preview
SolidSeas Viewer
The desktop app is an early, read-only preview. It works today and is still growing.
Experimental
Drawings and extensions
On, but not finished. Results may be incomplete or wrong and may change between versions, so check every drawing before you use it.
What it does
Everything in your CAD folder, at a glance
One toolkit, used two ways: a desktop viewer for people, and a library for the systems that need to read CAD files.
Properties and configurations
See each file's custom and configuration properties, its configurations, material and the SOLIDWORKS version it was saved with.
Bills of materials
Top-level, parts only or indented, numbered the way SOLIDWORKS numbers them. Export the BOM as CSV for Excel and ERP imports, or as JSON.
Where used
SolidSeas indexes the folder in the background, then shows which assemblies and drawings use a part. Search by part number, description or property.
3D view
Turn, pan and zoom parts and assemblies with a view cube. Pick, hide, isolate or explode components and make a housing see-through. Off until you switch it on.
Export to STEP, STL and 3MF
Write exact STEP for other CAD programs, or STL and 3MF for printing. 3D Print exports a part and opens it in Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, PrusaSlicer or UltiMaker Cura.
DrawingsExperimental
Make a dimensioned drawing of a part, with views, hole callouts, notes and a title block, saved as a drawing file with a PDF and a DXF.
Library, command line and REST
Import the Python library, script the solidseas command (every command prints JSON), or run a local REST service on 127.0.0.1 for other systems.
MCP and the modeling assistantExperimental
Use SolidSeas from a chat in Claude Desktop or Claude Code, or have the assistant draft changes with the AI provider you choose. Nothing runs until you press Run.
ExtensionsExperimental
Add only what you need: Gridfinity bins made from a photo of your tools, video export, and the CAD Bridge, which works with your own SOLIDWORKS installation.
More than one format
STEP, Parasolid, STL, 3MF, OBJ, PLY, OFF, glTF, AMF, ACIS and Alibre Design files are listed, previewed and exported beside your SOLIDWORKS files.
Private by design
Everything runs on your computer. The viewer is read-only, never changes your files, and needs no account and no internet connection.
See what an assembly holds
The details panel shows a document's components with their positions, its bill of materials, and every file that refers to it.
Your files stay yours
Read-only, offline, on your computer
- Never changes your filesThe viewer only reads. It writes the exports you ask for into a folder you pick, and 3D Print saves a new file beside the model.
- Works offlineReading, previewing and converting all happen on your computer. There is no account and nothing is uploaded.
- Keeps to your own drivesSolidSeas never contacts a network share, and its indexes and settings live in your user folder, never beside your files.
- Shows what a file would revealBefore you send a file to someone, the Paths tab lists the folder paths and user names stored inside it.
- No SOLIDWORKS neededReading a file never needs a SOLIDWORKS installation. Features that work with your own SOLIDWORKS are optional and say so.
- AI only when you chooseThe modeling assistant is off until you set up a provider, describes a part by numbers, and shows exactly what it sends.
Support the project
SolidSeas is free and open source, built and maintained by Syracuse 3D Printing. If it saves you time, you can buy the developer a coffee. Bug reports, file format findings and pull requests help just as much.