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What is the dwg extension and how to open it. View DWG files online

DWG Viewer is a small free program created specifically for viewing dwg files. If you don’t know how to work with , but in your line of work you often come across drawings and models made in this particular graphic editor. The question arises: "How to open DWG files?" - free DWG viewer!

Main functions and capabilities of DWG Viewer:

  • Printing images with DWG, DWF, DXF extensions (two-dimensional and three-dimensional models);
  • It is possible to work together with IE, Firefox and Netscape browsers;
  • Converting drawings made in Autodesk AutoCAD into images with a jpg extension;
  • Ability to copy text information from AutoCAD drawings;
  • Ability to copy parts of an existing image;
  • Publishing images in CSF format;
  • The ability to correct the original color of the drawing (three options are available: color or original, black and white, shades of gray);
  • Ability to view not only “Sheets”, but also “Models”;
  • Possibility of image processing (rotation, enlargement of individual fragments, mirroring);
  • Determination of line sizes, perimeter and area of ​​shapes.

Installing DWG Viewer

The installation process of DWG Viewer is not difficult. First, download the installation file to your PC or removable media (if you plan to install it on other computers), where it will be easy to find. At the same time, we behave carefully and do not allow the installation of “additional” toolbars and programs. After the download is complete, find the file through “My Computer” or any other convenient way and double-click on it. After this, we see a window displaying the beginning of the installation process, asking you to wait. After all the files have been prepared, the user will be asked whether he agrees with the proposed agreement - he needs to place the cursor opposite “I accept...” and click the mouse, then click on the “NEXT” button. A window will then appear asking you to select the address where the program itself will be located. You can leave the standard one, on the “C” drive, or you can change it, then click on the “NEXT” button again and start the installation process, at the end of which another message will appear asking you to click on “Finish”. This means that the process has completed successfully. Attention! You only need to download and install the latest version of the program. Otherwise, DWG Viewer will be useless, will not be able to open a single file, and will instead ask you to go to the site and agree to one of the paid updates. This should not be done, you just need to download the new version of the program and install it, having first completely gotten rid of the old one.

Features of working with DWG Viewer

The program has an intuitive interface. Thanks to the small set of functions and the button layout that is familiar to users, even when working with the English version, problems almost never arise. However, when using DWG Viewer, you should pay attention to some significant features. For example, the easiest way to open the desired file is from the program itself through the “Open” menu function. In order to use the standard “Open with” functionality for the first time, DWG Viewer has to be searched in the “Program Files” folder manually, after which (repeated openings) the system offers it by default. When you first encounter how DWG Viewer opens files, you can be a little confused. All this is due to the fact that by default it displays the image on which the user worked in the graphics editor. Very often this is a generated and ready-to-print representation of the drawing, that is, the one that can be seen on the “Sheet” tab in AutoCAD. To switch to “Model” you need to access the form located in the lower left corner of the program window. If you have any version of AutoCAD on your computer, DWG files will be opened by it, and only as an alternative the system will offer Viewer. Despite the obvious advantages of the graphic editor, the viewer program will also be useful to its owners. For example, when the “old” AutoCAD is installed on the PC, which does not support opening images made in later versions.

The DWG format is used by CAD applications to store 2D or 3D designs. This could be a cross-sectional drawing of a prism or several gears from a wristwatch. It happens that you urgently need to view an AutoCAD file when you don’t have a computer at hand or there are no programs installed to open such files.

How to View DWG Files Online

The development of modern technologies and the relevance of this issue have led to the fact that you can open a DWG file via the Internet even on several online services. This article provides a short overview of three resources where this can be done.

Method 1: A360 Viewer

Autodesk is one of the main companies that supports this format, and you can open and view the DWG file on their website. Some may be put off by the fact that there is no Russian language, but for simple viewing this is not at all necessary.

Go to the A360 Viewer online service

    1. At the very beginning of the page there is a button “ Upload your design“And even without knowledge of the language, the design itself suggests that this is exactly what is needed.


    1. Next, you can download the file from the cloud or from your device. Button " Select file» will bring up a dialog where you can select a document to view from your computer or mobile device.


    1. After this, the site will ask you to agree to the terms of use and ask if there are other files. If there is only one file, you can safely click on the button "No more files«


  1. After uploading a file to the server, you can simply view it, measure individual parts of the file, and even disable certain layers, if any.


Method 2: ShareCAD

Another resource where you can view DWG files is ShareCAD. The interface here is not as intuitive as on the previous site, but the presence of the Russian language can please us. On the other hand, the page will look the same on all devices, which is also good.
Go to ShareCAD online service

    1. The button to upload to the server is at the very top left. After clicking, just select a document from your computer.

  1. When viewing a file, you can change the scale and turn off layers. This is where the site's capabilities are limited.


Method 3: ProfiCAD

Another resource, made in a completely minimalist style, also allows you to view DWG files. Here you cannot turn off layers at all and the image may look inverted, i.e. black color instead of white and vice versa. There is no Russian language here either. But the site copes well with the task of viewing the document as such.
Go to the ProfiCAD online service

    1. First you need to click on the " Browse" and select a file from your device. After this you need to press the button "OK".


  1. After uploading to the site, you can view the drawing as a PNG image in a separate tab, or view individual parts of the drawing and still see the full picture.


Conclusion

You can open a DWG file online on various resources, and the availability of alternatives allows you to choose what is more necessary. But it is still recommended to use A360 Viewer, since this site is supported by a commercial company interested in the operation of the site.

DWG is a graphic file format containing drawings for AutoCAD. To open DWG files, you don’t need to have AutoCAD at hand: there are convenient free programs and online services.

Separately, there are converters that can convert files from DWG to PDF and vice versa. You can convert drawings both on your computer and online.

How to open .dwg files:

DWG TrueView and Autodesk Design Review

The easiest and most popular way to view and edit DWG drawings at a basic level is a free program DWG TrueView. Available from AutoCAD manufacturer - AutoDesk.

The free program works on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems, so there should be no problems running it. The latest version of the program, according to the manufacturer, is designed to work on the following systems:

  • Microsoft® Windows® 7 SP1 (32-bit & 64-bit)
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1 with Update KB2919355 (32-bit & 64-bit)
  • Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit only) (version 1607 and up recommended)

Moreover, the full version of Autodesk® AutoCAD 2018 is perfectly optimized for running on Mac: Apple® macOS® High Sierra v10.13 or later; Apple macOS Sierra v10.12 or later; Mac® OS X® El Capitan v10.11 or later. But there is no DWG TrueView Free for Apple technology; you will have to use analogue programs or free online services for working with drawings.

For viewing DWG files are sufficient to install DWG TrueView. In order to be able to edit files (make notes and notes on drawings), you additionally need to install Design Review. Downloading Autodesk Design Review on the official website is available in Russian. The latest version of the program is from 2013, which means there should be no problems with compatibility with older operating systems (Windows Vista, XP and earlier).

Putting marks or inscriptions on documents is far from what is needed for full-fledged work. An AutoCAD subscription currently costs $1,575.00 per year. There is a free trial version for those who need the software one-time - sometimes this can save the situation.

Online viewing and editing.DWG

The first online service you should use is the official online editor viewer.autodesk.com. According to the manufacturer, "Autodesk Viewer supports most 2D and 3D formats, including DWG, STEP, RVT and SolidWorks." The only problem is that there are practically no possibilities for editing drawings - you will have to go to third-party online services to get them.

Online services for viewing, editing and converting.DWG:

  1. Free DWG Viewer. In first place is the official Free DWG Viewer service from Autodesk. Allows you to view and resave drawings, but does not allow you to make full changes. The address is viewer.autodesk.com.
  2. ShareCAD.org, there is a version in Russian. Allows you to view and save all popular vector, raster and 3D graphics formats in your browser. Works in the browser on all platforms: Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone. Allows you to access files and archives from all devices after simple registration. There is also a PC version of the program - ABViewer, available on the same page.
  3. Program-pro.ru. Simple functionality for viewing DWG drawings online. The maximum file size is limited to 50 MB, there are no options for editing the picture. Address - http://program-pro.ru/.
  4. Free AutoCAD Online. The service is located at http://www.autocadws.com and allows you not only to view, but also to edit and then resave DWG drawings online. To work, you must register. In addition, the browser must support Flash.
  5. LibreCAD Online. The service is intended for two-dimensional design - 3D drawings are not supported. It is possible to either create drawings from scratch or edit existing ones by uploading a file in one of the available formats. DWG is not included in them - you will have to convert (re-save) into one of the following: SVG, JPG, PNG, PDF. To use, you need to go to the website www.rollapp.com/app/librecad and click on the “Launch Online” button.
  6. Onshape. Only 21 days of using www.onshape.com are given free of charge, after which you will have to pay a decent amount. The service only works in English, but it provides truly wide opportunities for online 2D and 3D design. You can download and save drawings in various formats, edit and create documents in DWG format.

Of all the services that we were able to find on the Russian-language and English-language Internet, only Free AutoCAD Online And Onshape make it possible not only to view, but also to edit drawings in the browser. Since Onshape only has a 21-day trial version, it is recommended to use the AutoCAD WS website (http://www.autocadws.com/). You must first create an account in the service, confirm your email and update Adobe Flash Player in your browser to the latest version.

Online converters DWG->PDF and PDF->DWG

Online converters allow you to quickly convert one format to another ( DWG, PDF, JPG, CDW, DXF, CDR) in any direction. The obvious task of converters is to change the file format when the original format of the graphic document does not match the required one.

For rarely used formats such as PLN, FRW, VSD, XML, finding online conversion opportunities is quite difficult. If such services are not listed below, you will have to install the program on your computer in order to be able to change formats.

Online DWG converters:

  1. Zamzar.com. Allows you to convert .dwg files not only to .pdf, but also to any other formats, of which there are several dozen to choose from ( bmp, gif, jpg, pdf, png, tiff...). By default, the converter has a file limit of 50 megabytes, but it can be increased. The result of the file conversion will be sent to the specified email address.
  2. PDF to DWG. If on the first site drawings in DWG format can be converted to another format, then here PDF-converted in the opposite direction, to DWG. An online converter from the creators of the ABViewer program, located on their website. Since the purpose of the site is to sell an advanced version of the computer program, the online solution has a number of limitations. At the moment: file size up to 3 MB, conversion of 2 files per day, conversion of the first 2 pages of a PDF file, file vectorization is not supported (raster images in PDF are converted to OLE objects).
  3. DWG/DXF to PDF. A simple English-language site that allows you to convert images from DWG/DXF format to PDF without registering or entering an e-mail. Since image conversion in this direction is slow and creates a load on the server, the maximum file size is limited to 10 megabytes.
  4. coolutils.com. A free script on the website coolutils.com/ru/online makes it possible to convert a drawing to DWG in any of the following formats: PDF, JPEG, TIFF, CGM, PNG, SWF.
  5. Aconvert.com. The site is in English, but the script itself is made very simply and understandably. Allows conversion in two directions: both from DWG to PDF and vice versa, and to the following formats: DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, XML, CSV, ODT, ODS, ODP, HTML, TXT, RTF, SWF , PNG, JPG, TIFF, BMP, PCX, PNM and PSD.
  6. Dwg.autodwg.com. An incredibly simple site that online converts .pdf files into drawings recognized by AutoCAD. It is possible to select even a specific version of the program: AutoCAD 14, 2000/2002, 2004/2005/2006, 2007/2008/2009, 2010/2012. Since then, the site apparently has not been updated - there is no adaptation to new versions of the program.

These sites allow you to convert from DWG in all directions. Despite their convenience, online services are usually slow and have limitations on the number of files or their size. In order not to encounter such restrictions and not to depend on the availability and speed of the Internet, you can install a converter program on your computer.

Free converters and editors

All programs for working with DWG can be divided into two categories: converters and editors. In turn, in each category there are paid and free programs, so all software is divided into four lists. Converters allow you to change the drawing format from any popular one to DWG and back. Other programs are designed for viewing and/or editing drawings.

Free converters:

  • XnView Extended 2.45— allows you to open not only drawings, but also photo and video content, and then save it in any convenient format. Available in Russian.
  • DWG TrueView 2018- the latest version from the developer of AutoCAD. It is guaranteed to open any necessary drawing and save it in the required format.
  • Free DWG Viewer— there is an opportunity to change the document format when saving (Save as...). The latest version of the program is 16.0.2.11.
  • IrfanView 4.51- a simple and lightweight program that allows you to quickly open large files even on weak computers. Available in Russian.
  • PDF24 Creator 8.6.0 is a free program from the developer geek Software GmbH, which is a “virtual printer”. Weighs only 22 MB, provides convenient work with Explorer, supports all popular formats.
  • doPDF 9.4.241 is a simple and convenient program that allows you to convert any documents, from drawings to Microsoft Excel tables, to PDF.

Concerning free editors for DWG drawings, then the only complete solution can be considered LibreCAD(current version 2.1.3). It is the only free CAD software that is open source and available for download at librecad.org. The program is in Russian, and there are many instructions on how to operate and configure it online.

Used for storing data from 3D models or 2D drawings (currently most often used for drawings). The dwg format stores data about the model's frame, its textures and frame. It is used in CAD programs, both paid and free. It comes in DWS and DWT varieties, DWX is the ASCII version. Files with this extension can be either CAD programs or free viewers.

How to open a dwg file

  1. – a free application for viewing dwg files. The interface is similar to that of AutoCAD. In new versions, the application has learned to convert files. Printing and layers are supported.

  2. – dwg file viewer from a domestic developer. The application interface is well thought out, pleasant and simple. The application supports major formats, and not only from the KOMPAS application package. The main functions include zooming, dragging, and printing documents.

  3. is a small but powerful program with which you can view 3D models and drawings. It is used in enterprises, schools, and universities due to its simplicity, accessibility and freeness. Supports selection of elements, rotation, scaling and printing.

A DWG file can be opened with special programs. To open this format, download one of the proposed programs.

How to open a DWG file

The binary DWG format was developed by Autodesk and is used to store designs presented in 2D or 3D. One file can contain several drawings at the same time. The DWG extension is supported by many CAD applications through file import and export, and they work directly with it AutoCAD, nanoCAD, IntelliCAD, Caddy.
The format was developed in the late 70s of the twentieth century by Michael Riddle, and is used as the main standard in software from Autodesk since 1982. It also includes files with the extensions and . Most software that works with this format creates backup copies of documents sv$ And bak.

DWG viewer

You can open a DWG file using CAD software, most of which are supported by various versions of the Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems:

  • AutoCAD is the main tool for engineers;
  • ArchiCAD - software package for architects;
  • Advance Steel - calculation system for metal structures;
  • Compass from a domestic company ASCON.

These CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software are professional software with expensive licenses, so if you rarely need to open Dwg files, you can use free programs:

  • Autodesk Design Review - a utility from the developers of AutoCAD;
  • nanoCAD with the ability to edit files;

Online services

Autodesk 360 is a cloud storage from the company of the same name, provides 5 GB of memory, Allows you to edit a DWG drawing.
ShareCAD- an online service designed specifically for viewing DWG documents with a user-friendly interface. Supports working with files up to 50 MB.

Other formats

Files with the DWG extension were also created by the old program BravoDRAFT. Despite the extension of the same name, this format is unique and is not supported by other CAD systems. This application is currently discontinued and no longer supported.

A database of 2D or 3D drawings created in AutoCAD, a professional computer-aided design program. Contains vector graphics data and metadata describing the contents of the file. Related to the format, which is the ASCII version of a DWG file.

DWG (pronounced dwg) files can be viewed on Windows using Autodesk's free DWG TrueView program. MX can be opened in third-party applications that support the DWG format.

Note: Several variations of the DWG format have been published in AutoCAD. Since 2000, the DWG 2000, DWG 2004, DWG 2007 and DWG 2010 formats have been introduced. Although these formats are similar, their file structures are slightly different. But third-party CAD programs can open some DWG files, although not all.



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