| File extension | .dxf |
| Category | CAD File |
| Description | The DXF file format was created by Autodesk in 1982 and the intention was to create a format that was independent of CAD applications and therefore eased the difficulties of sharing files created by different applications. This was particularly important for early versions of CAD as reverse engineering of the closely guarded DWG format was limited. However in recent years the usefulness of DXF format has reduced due to DXF not being able to support more advanced CAD elements such as dynamic blocks. The market leading popularity of AutoCAD has also reduced the requirement for an application independent format. |
| Actions |
Convert DXF file
View other cad file formats |
| Technical Details | DXF files are organised in way that allows the files to be opened by a normal text editor application.vA DXF file has a common format containing a number of sections. These include the Header which contains file property information, Classes, Tables, Entities, Blocks and Thumbnail Image section. The data contained within a DXF is known as tagged data which means that the tags identify how the data should be interpreted. For example there are a large number of group codes related to the creation of an ellipse. Various group codes allow for the definition of the start and end points, centre point and extrusion directions. |
| Associated programs |
Adobe Illustratror
AutoCAD
CorelCAD
Open Office
PaintShop Pro |
|
| Developed by |
Autodesk |
| MIME type |
application/dxf
application/x-autocad
application/x-dxf
drawing/x-dxf
image/vnd.dxf
image/x-autocad
image/x-dxf
zz-application/zz-winassoc-dxf |
|
| Useful links |
DXF Specification
More Information on DXF
Convert DXF file |
