DrawbridgeFrom PDF set to working set.
Drawbridge brings architectural drawings to life. Find sheets, follow references, make precise markups, manage layers and measure right on the page—all in one native Mac app.
Keep the whole set connected.
Drawing sets are more than pages in a file. Drawbridge helps you move from finding a sheet to doing the work on it—without losing your place.
Make sense of the set.
Browse page thumbnails, find sheet names and generate bookmarks and page labels from title blocks.
Jump to the reference.
Batch-link sheet references so a callout can take you to its destination. Use viewing history to get back.
Draw on the drawing.
Add vector annotations, snapshots and measurements; organize and review markups across pages.
Prepare the handoff.
Extract the pages you need, manage PDF layers and choose the right file-size reduction method.
Hundreds of pages.
One clear way through.
Turn a combined PDF into a drawing set you can actually navigate. Generate a sheet index, then connect references across disciplines with clickable links.
- Generate sheet names and bookmarks
- Apply page labels you can recognize
- Batch-link referenced sheet numbers
- Return through viewing history
Follow the callout,
not the page count.
References such as A-201 can become jumps to the matching sheet. When you're ready to return, your viewing history takes you right back to where you were.
Drawbridge works with the actual PDF set; detection depends on the text and layout of each document, so review the resulting links.
Built for the details that matter.
Drawbridge keeps evolving around real drawing-set work—from navigating and editing to getting the right pages out the door.
More control, right where you work.
The latest release refines navigation and drawing scale instead of asking you to change your workflow.
- First and Last page controls join the footer’s Previous and Next buttons.
- Apply drawing scale to selected pages from the Pages or Bookmarks sidebar.
- Recent releases also brought native PDF-layer controls and anchored color swatches.
One desk for the entire PDF.
Purpose-built tools for review and coordination, without flattening every step of the workflow into an image.
Editable markups
Pen, shapes, lines, arrows, text and highlights. Tune color, weight, opacity and other properties.
Snapshots
Copy a region to another sheet at its original paper size, with reversible appearance options.
Measurements
Set or calibrate drawing scale, then trace lengths, perimeters and areas on the page.
Layers & review
Organize markup layers, inspect annotations in the Markups List and control supported native drawing layers.
Extract & prepare
Export selected pages or pages with markups. Flatten supported annotations or purge supported layers when needed.
PDF optimization
Choose lossless, image compression or rasterized output depending on what the deliverable needs. Check output before sharing.
Made for Mac. Made for drawings.
Drawbridge is a focused, local PDF workspace—not a cloud document system or a replacement for the original CAD files.
Local by design
View, index and mark up PDFs on your Mac. The app is free and open source, with a signed and notarized Apple Silicon release.
Know the boundaries
Results depend on each PDF’s structure. Check generated links and scales; some layer operations change the open file, while image compression and rasterization produce separate copies. See the release notes for current limitations.
Open the set. Get to work.
Free for macOS 13+ on Apple Silicon. Download the DMG and drag Drawbridge to Applications.