diff --git a/OpenNest.WinForms.Tests/Forms/PlateExportTests.cs b/OpenNest.WinForms.Tests/Forms/PlateExportTests.cs
index ec4d9adc..da318b6f 100644
--- a/OpenNest.WinForms.Tests/Forms/PlateExportTests.cs
+++ b/OpenNest.WinForms.Tests/Forms/PlateExportTests.cs
@@ -327,6 +327,50 @@ public class PlateExportTests
         Assert.Same(form.Nest.Plates[0], form.PlateView.Plate);
     });
 
+    [Fact]
+    public void ViewInCadWritesDxfAndOpensItThroughTheShell() => RunSta(() =>
+    {
+        using var form = ShowJob();
+        form.PlateManager.LoadAt(1);
+
+        form.OpenCurrentPlate();
+
+        var path = Assert.Single(form.Launches);
+        try
+        {
+            Assert.Equal(Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), "export job-P2.dxf"), path);
+            Assert.Same(form.Nest.Plates[1], Assert.Single(form.WriteRequests).Plate);
+            Assert.True(new FileInfo(path).Length > 0);
+            Assert.Empty(form.Failures);
+            Assert.True(EditNestForm.ExternalCadStartInfo(path).UseShellExecute);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            File.Delete(path);
+        }
+    });
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void ViewInCadReportsLaunchFailureInsteadOfThrowing() => RunSta(() =>
+    {
+        using var form = ShowJob();
+        var error = new System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception("No application is associated with .dxf.");
+        form.LaunchAction = _ => throw error;
+
+        form.OpenCurrentPlate();
+
+        var failure = Assert.Single(form.Failures);
+        File.Delete(failure.Destination);
+        Assert.Same(error, failure.Error);
+    });
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("job 1", 3, "job 1-P3.dxf")]
+    [InlineData("A/B:C*?", 1, "A_B_C__-P1.dxf")]
+    [InlineData("  ", 2, "Nest-P2.dxf")]
+    public void ViewInCadFileNameIsAlwaysUsable(string nestName, int plateNumber, string expected) =>
+        Assert.Equal(expected, EditNestForm.ExternalCadFileName(nestName, plateNumber));
+
     private static TestEditNestForm ShowJob()
     {
         var form = new TestEditNestForm(CreateJob());
@@ -409,6 +453,18 @@ public class PlateExportTests
 
         internal override void ReportPlateExportFailure(string destination, Exception error) =>
             Failures.Add((destination, error));
+
+        public List<string> Launches { get; } = [];
+        public System.Action<string>? LaunchAction { get; set; }
+
+        internal override void LaunchExternalCad(string path)
+        {
+            Launches.Add(path);
+            LaunchAction?.Invoke(path);
+        }
+
+        internal override void ReportExternalCadFailure(string path, Exception error) =>
+            Failures.Add((path, error));
     }
 
     private sealed class FlushFailureStream(string path) : FileStream(path, FileMode.Create)
diff --git a/OpenNest/Forms/EditNestForm.cs b/OpenNest/Forms/EditNestForm.cs
index 8391b267..b3db88e0 100644
--- a/OpenNest/Forms/EditNestForm.cs
+++ b/OpenNest/Forms/EditNestForm.cs
@@ -1057,13 +1057,44 @@ namespace OpenNest.Forms
         public void OpenCurrentPlate()
         {
             var plate = PlateView.Plate;
-            var name = string.Format("{0}-P{1}.dxf", Nest.Name, PlateManager.CurrentIndex + 1);
+            var name = ExternalCadFileName(Nest.Name, PlateManager.CurrentIndex + 1);
             var path = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), name);
-            Dxf.ExportPlate(plate, path);
-
-            Process.Start(path);
+            try
+            {
+                WritePlateExport(plate, path, 1);
+                LaunchExternalCad(path);
+            }
+            catch (Exception ex)
+            {
+                ReportExternalCadFailure(path, ex);
+            }
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Temp DXF name for View in CAD; characters a file name cannot hold become underscores.
+        /// </summary>
+        internal static string ExternalCadFileName(string nestName, int plateNumber)
+        {
+            var baseName = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(nestName) ? "Nest" : nestName.Trim();
+            var invalid = Path.GetInvalidFileNameChars();
+            var chars = baseName.Select(c => Array.IndexOf(invalid, c) >= 0 ? '_' : c).ToArray();
+            return $"{new string(chars)}-P{plateNumber}.dxf";
+        }
+
+        // .NET 8 defaults UseShellExecute to false, which tries to run the DXF as an executable;
+        // the shell opens it in the program associated with .dxf instead.
+        internal static ProcessStartInfo ExternalCadStartInfo(string path) =>
+            new ProcessStartInfo(path) { UseShellExecute = true };
+
+        internal virtual void LaunchExternalCad(string path)
+        {
+            using var process = Process.Start(ExternalCadStartInfo(path));
+        }
+
+        internal virtual void ReportExternalCadFailure(string path, Exception error) =>
+            MessageBox.Show(this, $"Could not open '{path}' in CAD: {error.Message}",
+                "View in CAD", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error);
+
         public void AddPlate()
         {
             using var change = BeginChange("Add Plate");