AutoCAD DWG

.dwg

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DWG (Drawing) is Autodesk AutoCAD's native binary design file format, the most widely used format in engineering design and drafting. DWG files contain rich design information including vector graphics, text annotations, layer definitions, and block references. Vector features from DWG can be extracted to standard GIS formats through GDAL/OpenDesign libraries.

Specifications

Standard: Autodesk

MIME: application/acad

Key Features

AutoCAD native format, universal in engineering design
Contains rich layers, blocks, and annotation information

Advantages

Supported by virtually all CAD software for DWG import

Limitations

Proprietary binary format, parsing relies on third-party libraries
Coordinate system information usually incomplete, manual specification needed

Common Use Cases