Digital Engineering 24/7

Helping design and engineering professionals discover, evaluate and specify technologies and processes that shorten the design cycle and enable success.

Design

Simulate

Additive Manufacturing

Digital Thread

Engineering Computing

Companies

Glossary

Podcasts

Products

Reviews

Webinars

Downloads





Alert!

Digital Engineering ceased publication on July 1, 2026. This website remains available as an archive of engineering content.

For inquiries or information, please email [email protected].

Glossary: DWG

 
 
A file format for that stands for “drawings,” which was developed by Mike Riddle in the 1970s and has become the most widely used format for CAD drawings due, in large part, to Autodesk using it as the basis for AutoCAD in 1982 and updating it numerous times since. Whenever a user inputs data in a CAD drawing, DWG houses all that data, which may include 2D and 3D designs, geometric information and photographs.
 
 

More DWG

Bricsys Makes the Case for Mechanical CAD in DWG

Bricsys Makes the Case for Mechanical CAD in DWG
BricsCAD V21 marries BIM, mechanical design with flexible licensing.
Autodesk, Open Design Alliance Bury the Hatchet (Half-Way)

Autodesk, Open Design Alliance Bury the Hatchet (Half-Way)
IFC support brings Autodesk and ODA together, up to a point.
Autodesk joins Open Design Alliance

Autodesk joins Open Design Alliance
Former ligitants chart new course for DWG interoperability.
Editor’s Pick: Improve the Drafting Experience

Editor’s Pick: Improve the Drafting Experience
IntelliCAD Technology Consortium Version 9.1 adds digital signatures, direct to PDF, and more. 

DWG-editing is Entering a New Era
Desktop, mobile and cloud computing are converging to improve workflows across users and devices.

Bricsys Proclaims “Second Life” for .dwg File Format
“Stick with .dwg” was the conference slogan, and Bricsys has proven over the years it has the will to make itself a player to be taken seriously.

DWG FastView 2.0 Launches
The company has completely revamped the software's interface.

DWG to 3D PDF Conversion Available for AutoCAD 2014
Latest version of PDF3D ReportGen provides simpler DWG to 3D PDF conversion.

DataNumen Releases DWG Recovery to Repair AutoCAD Files
Fix more than 50 types of objects in DWG files.

Recovery Toolbox for DWG Released
Recover and preview damaged AutoCAD files.

nanoCAD for Free: From Russia with 2D

Free TurboViewer v1 Offers 3D DWG Viewing on Android
Users can view AutoCAD files on mobile devices without an Internet connection.

Autodesk SketchBook Designer: Concept Sketches in DWG

The Great iPad Race: DWG on the Go

Autodesk Adds Inventor Support to AutoCAD WS

More DWG

Browse glossary terms

Latest News

Latest Resources

From our Sponsors

Meltio Takes Metal Additive to the Next Level
Meltio's DED technology enables industries to tailor and customize their solutions to create & repair metal parts.
Easing the Transition from ETO to CTO with Configuration Lifecycle Management
Manufacturers are discovering that the Configure-to-Order (CTO) model provides significant benefits when it comes to customization.
Siemens + Altair = The Next Chapter in Design and Simulation
With its acquisition of Altair, Siemens creates a unified simulation portfolio combining generative design with high-performance computing and AI workflows.