After programming, digital drawing is possibly the one with the most formats, just like video. There are many types of files that contain graphic elements. The best known are JPG and PNG, but the world is so much bigger than these.
Among the many digital drawing computer files, the DraWinG or .DWG is one of the most importantespecially for the AutoCAD users those who love design in two and three dimensions.
In this article we are going to teach you everything you need to know about what .DWG files are and what they are used for.as well as its transcendence and importance as far as digital drawing is concerned.
What is it and what are files with the .DWG extension used for?
The DWG is a computer file used to store graphic information of a digital design. This stores vector information, which will allow you to increase or reduce its dimensions without affecting the quality of the image, as happens with other files of this type. Also, unlike others, this one can store 3D vector information.
This last feature has made the format the one chosen by Autodesk for most files exported from your AutoCAD, The world’s most widely used 3D digital design software. However, this was not the direct creator of the format.
To know the origins of dwg you have to go back to the early 80’s, when the developers of IBM released one of the many versions of the operating system MS-DOS. It contained this new type of file for your basic drawing software, which instead of exporting in png either JPEG, I did it in dwg.
The utility of dwg and its convenience to be used as a default format for digital design in 2 and 3 dimensions made it Autodesk choose it as the cherry on your cake AutoCAD, whose first edition would be released in 1986.
However, not everything is perfect with the dwg, since with each release of a new version of the AutoCAD a new DWG was created and it was not always compatible with the previous one. That is, version 1 was not compatible with 2 or 3. This led to the creation of another format that would allow data to be shared between different versions of DraWinG called DXF or Drawing eXchange File.
How to open and view .DWG files on smartphones or computers?
Opening a DWG file and viewing what is inside it is an extremely simple process that will not take you more than a few minutes to do. Yes indeed, to expedite everything you will need to have AutoCAD from Autodesksince this program will allow you to open the format with just a couple of clicks on it.
On Windows PC
The has native support for the vector format files dwg, so that if you have this installed, you will be able to view all the elements in this format that you want.
What you have to do in this case is simply right click on the file in question and then follow the path “Open with”>”AutoCAD”.
After that, the software will open and you will see what is inside the element, as well as you can edit it and make any changes you want with the program’s tools.
On Mac computers
on computers macOS the process is basically the same. you just have to have the AutoCAD program installed and when you make a couple of clicks on the file you want to see, it will be executed and you will be able to view the content or edit it according to what you want.
On Android mobile phones
to view files dwg on Android you will need to download and install the mobile version of AutoCAD that Autodesk has developed for you.
Although this is much less powerful than desktopthe most important thing is that with it you will be able to see files dwg without any problem.
What you should do is simply enter the app, touch on “Open” and browse for the file you want to view. After that you can make changes with the tools that this app puts at your disposal.
On iPhone devices with iOS
on devices Manzana it is also possible to install the version Mobile of AutoCAD to do this task. Once everything is ready, you simply have to start it and touch on “Open” to view or edit the content within the vector drawing file.
List of the best alternative applications and programs to open a document with a .Dwg extension without using AutoCad
While AutoCAD is the default software for editing and viewing this, it’s not the only option you have. Here is a list of programs and applications to view and edit DWG documents without problems.
MicroStation
This is one of the most powerful competitors that AutoCAD has in the market and it is not for less. It has equally good tools for engineering and architecture professionals. As can be expected from a 2- and 3-dimensional drawing creation and editing software, it can perfectly read any DWG file thanks to its DXF support. However, it is paid, so you will have to pay a license to use it.
VectorWorks
A program used even by professionals in the film industry to create the structural foundation of cities made entirely of special effects. Remember those wonderful worlds from Guardians of the Galaxy or realistic changes like the ones from The Origin? Well, things like that can be done with this software that has a unique level of detail. In this you will be able to open any DWG file thanks to the native support that it has integrated for documents of this format.
sketchup
A fairly cheap alternative that will allow you to create all kinds of wonders in 3D, although with more limited tools than the previous two. However, for the task of opening DWG files it works perfectly, so it will be useful for you.
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