AutoCAD Drawing Database (DWG) and AutoCAD Drawing Interchange Format (DXF)

To import an AutoCAD Drawing Database file (DWG) or AutoCAD Drawing Interchange Format (DXF)
To export an AutoCAD Drawing Database file (DWG) or an AutoCAD Drawing Interchange file (DXF)
AutoCAD Data Interchange Format (DXF) technical notes
AutoCAD Drawing Database (DWG) technical notes

AutoCAD Drawing Database (DWG) files are vector files used as a native format for AutoCAD drawings.

The Drawing Interchange Format (DXF) is a tagged data representation of the information contained in an AutoCAD drawing file. The Drawing Interchange format is a native file format of AutoCAD. It has become a standard for exchanging CAD drawings and is supported by many CAD applications. The Drawing Interchange format is vector-based and supports up to 256 colors.

To import an AutoCAD Drawing Database file (DWG) or AutoCAD Drawing Interchange Format (DXF)

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1 Click File Import.
2 Locate the folder in which the file is stored.
3 Choose DWG - AutoCAD (*.dwg) or DXF - AutoCAD (*.dxf) from the list box next to the File name box.
4 Click the filename.
5 Click Import.
6 From the 3D projection list box in the Import AutoCAD file dialog box, choose a plane projection of a three-dimensional object as seen from a given focal point.
If you want to reduce the number of nodes on the imported object, enable the Auto-reduce nodes check box.
7 In the Scaling area, enable one of the following options:
• Automatic — scales the drawing using the scale of the AutoCAD source file
• English (1 unit = 1 inch) — lets you scale the drawing in inches
• Metric (1 unit = 1 mm) — lets you scale the drawing in millimeters
8 Click OK.
If the file is password protected, type the password in the Password box.

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If views are specified in your file, they appear automatically in the 3D projection list box.

If your computer is missing a font that is included in a file you are importing, a PANOSE font matching dialog box appears and lets you substitute the font with a similar font.

To export an AutoCAD Drawing Database file (DWG) or an AutoCAD Drawing Interchange file (DXF)

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1 Click File Export.
2 Locate the folder in which you want to save the file.
3 From the Save as type list box, choose one of the following options:
• DWG - AutoCAD
• DXF - AutoCAD
4 Type a filename in the File name list box.
5 Click Export.
6 In the Export to AutoCAD dialog box, choose an AutoCAD version from the Export version list box.
7 Choose a unit of measure from the Export units list box.
8 In the Export text as area, enable one of the following options:
• Curves — lets you export text as curves
• Text — lets you export text as editable characters
9 In the Export bitmap as area, enable one of the options to export the bitmaps in a drawing to a supported bitmap format.
10 In the Fill unmapped fills area, enable one of the following options:
• Color — fills all unmapped fills with color. To change the color, click the Color picker and choose a color on the palette.
• Unfilled — leaves unmapped fills unfilled

AutoCAD Data Interchange Format (DXF) technical notes

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• The program supports AutoCAD files from version R2.5 to 2018.
• Layers are retained on import and export.

Importing an AutoCAD DXF file

• If a DXF file is too complex to import into CorelDRAW, you can configure your AutoCAD output device as an HP7475 plotter and perform a plot-to-file of the drawing. Then you can try importing this plot file with the HPGL import filter. Newer versions of AutoCAD allow you to create EPS files.
• Corel graphics programs try to center the imported image. The image is scaled down if the coordinates are larger than the maximum page size available in CorelDRAW — 150 × 150 feet.
• Solid and trace entities are filled.
• Dimension lines are imported as dimension objects.
• A point is imported as an ellipse of minimum size.
• Files exported as "Entities only" may not appear as expected in the Corel program because of a lack of header information.
• Imported AutoCAD files that contain formatted paragraph text preserve text formatting such as spacing, alignment, and indents.
• Justification of text entries may not be preserved, especially if fonts are replaced in the imported files. For best results, avoid justification of text.
• If the DXF file contains a font that is not on the user’s computer, the PANOSE font matching dialog box lets the user replace the font with an available one.
• 3D objects are not supported.

Exporting an AutoCAD DXF file

• CorelDRAW saves drawings in a vector format accepted by computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) programs and devices, such as AutoCAD and certain computer-driven sign and glass cutters.
• Files exported to AutoCAD version 2007 may not display correctly in AutoCAD 2007.
• Password protection is not available in the exported files.
• Only the outlines of objects are exported.
• Filled objects with no outlines have an outline appended to them on export.
• All text is exported by using a generic font. Text formatting is not preserved.

AutoCAD Drawing Database (DWG) technical notes

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• CorelDRAW can import AutoCAD and export files from version R2.5 to 2018.
• Password protection is not available in the exported files.
• If the DWG file contains a font that is not on your computer, the PANOSE font matching dialog box lets you replace the font with an available one.

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The features documented in the Help are available in the full version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 2021. Some features may not be available in this version of the product.