DWG file

File extension	.dwg
Category	CAD File
Description	The .dwg file extension stands for drawing. One of the oldest file types, it was initially conceived in the 1970s for use with the early Computer Aided Design (CAD) devices for 2D and 3D drawings. The DWG format is licensed to Autodesk for their AutoCAD application which is the de facto standard for CAD drawings. Autodesk have robustly resisted attempts to reverse engineer the DWG format by other freeware applications building watermark protection into certain versions. The DWG files created by CAD applications are used industrially by architects, engineers and designers.
Actions	DWG Converter View other cad file formats
Technical Details	A .DWG file is a binary file that contains vector image data and metadata. The vector image data provides instructions to the CAD application about how to display the DWG on screen. The metadata may contain a variety of information on the file including location specific data and also client data. Files created using AutoCAD 14 also have a file verification checksum included, which validates that the file was created using AutoCAD.
Associated programs	Adobe Illustrator AutoCAD Autodesk DWG TrueView CorelCAD
Developed by	Autodesk
MIME type	application/acad application/x-acad application/autocad_dwg image/x-dwg application/dwg application/x-dwg application/x-autocad image/vnd.dwg drawing/dwg
Useful links	DWG File Format Specification More Information on DWG Files Autodesk DWG TrueView (To View) DWG Converter

Using Zamzar it is possible to convert DWG files to a variety of other formats

This page contains information on the DWG file extension (AutoCAD Drawing Database), a popular cad file format