EFA CAMverse › EAGLE viewer

NewDXF and GenCAD – for production, test field and EFA SmartSuite→ Format guide · EAGLE

Open and view EAGLE boards – free on Windows.

Received a .brd file but don't have EAGLE installed? EFA CAMverse opens EAGLE boards natively – without an EAGLE or Fusion installation, without cloud upload – and shows layers, components, nets, copper pours and 3D.

EAGLE format icon
.brd XML · EAGLE 6.0 and newer

EAGLE .brd – the native board format, readable directly without EAGLE.

The format

What is EAGLE .brd?

EAGLE (“Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor”) is a schematic and PCB design program. The .brd file is its native layout format and contains the complete design: layers, traces, components (packages), nets, keepouts and dimensions – the design intent, not just the finished image.

EAGLE was developed in the late 1980s by the German company CadSoft; since 2016 it belongs to Autodesk and has meanwhile been absorbed into Autodesk Fusion (Electronics). With version 6.0 (2011) the file format switched from a proprietary binary format to well-readable XML.

3 steps

How to open a .brd file

1

Install EFA CAMverse

Download for free and install – a native Windows application (10/11, 64-bit), free to use as a viewer.

2

Open the .brd

Open the board file directly – EFA CAMverse reads the XML format (EAGLE 6.0 and newer) and evaluates the version stated in the file. The binary legacy format up to EAGLE 5.x is not supported.

3

View and verify

Toggle layers, highlight nets with a double-click, inspect components, measure distances – and switch to the 3D view with one click. No Gerber export from EAGLE required.

In the viewer

What EFA CAMverse shows you from the .brd file

Layers and stackup

Layers & stackup

Toggle every layer, control transparency and view the stackup.

Netlist

Netlist & highlight

As a design format, .brd carries the complete netlist – with bidirectional highlighting by double-click.

Copper areas

Copper pours

Keepouts and copper pours are rendered filled – just like the original.

Components and bill of materials

Components & BOM

All components with reference, value, package and every attribute of the board – for bill of materials, quotation and assembly print.

Learn more →
Assembly view

Assembly print & variants

Top and bottom as assembly print – straight from the component data of the board; show or hide the components of the customer variant with a click.

Learn more →
3D view

3D view

View the board in space – with components as 3D bodies, rotate and zoom freely.

Learn more →
Measuring

Measure & inspect

Precise distance and geometry measurement right in the layer view.

Image output

Image output

Output or print the view as PDF, PNG or JPG – for documentation and coordination.

Offline and local

100 % local

A native Windows application – no cloud, no upload. Your design data stays on your machine.

Pass on

From the EAGLE board to what production and the test field need.

EFA CAMverse passes the EAGLE board on directly – as DXF or as GenCAD, without going through another program.

DXF

New

Depaneling · design · documentation

Outline, milling channels, tabs and drill holes for your depaneling software, component outlines and fiducials for your CAD program, all layers as a drawing.

With EAGLE: straight from the board – without a Gerber output and without EAGLE itself.

More about DXF export →

GenCAD 1.4

In-circuit test · flying probe · AOI · placement machine

The basis for programming your test and production equipment – optionally with only the components of the customer variant.

With EAGLE: components, pads, drill holes and nets come straight from the board – no detour via manufacturing data.

More about GenCAD export →
EFA SmartSuite

From the EAGLE board straight to inspection.

Together with EFA SmartSuite, EFA CAMverse turns the EAGLE board into a fully set-up EFA project – the way to automated inspection of the board shrinks to a few steps.

  • 1The project is created automatically: the EFA project takes over coordinates, bill of materials and the assembly drawings of top and bottom side directly – no importing, no cross-checking.
  • 2Inspection jobs ready to go: one job per side – with exactly the components placed on that side.
  • 3Add an image, start inspecting: with a high-resolution image of the board, automated inspection starts right away.

With EAGLE: the components come straight from the board – no coordinate file needed.

More about EFA SmartSuite →
Good to know

EAGLE versions in context

Old EAGLE files (up to 5.x)?

Up to EAGLE 5.x, .brd was a proprietary binary format – this is not supported. From EAGLE 6.0 (2011) on, .brd is XML-based and is read; strongly deviating versions may trigger a compatibility notice. Tip: save old boards once with a newer EAGLE version.

EAGLE vs. KiCad

Both are tool-native design formats – not manufacturing exchange like Gerber or ODB++. EAGLE is proprietary (Autodesk) and XML-based, KiCad is open source with S-expression syntax. EFA CAMverse reads both natively – in the same tool. To the KiCad guide →

And when the next customer delivers something else: EFA CAMverse also opens 8 more PCB/CAM formats – in the same tool, with the same way of working.

A .brd file on your desk? See it in 2 minutes.

EFA CAMverse is free to use as a viewer – unlock advanced features whenever you need them. Native on Windows, your data stays local.

EFA CAMverse 2026 · free viewer · Windows 10/11 · 64-bit