Autodesk’s DWG viewer history has been one of twists and turns, including name changes, attempts to charge money for it, lost features, bloat, and general confusion. One of the most obvious problems that prevented people using the recent DWG TrueView offerings was the inability to measure objects. As a result, some people who needed a DWG viewer turned to the MicroStation-based offering, Bentley View. It took a while, but that omission has now been remedied and Autodesk now provides a useful tool for non-AutoCAD users who need to check drawings. You can download it here:

http://www.autodesk.com/dwgtrueview

It’s a 194 MB download in 32-bit form, so it’s no lightweight. It is basically a very cut-down AutoCAD 2009 and shares its Ribbon interface, albeit in much simplified form.