By Dennis Collin
A DWF file is a 2D or 3D drawing saved in the Design Web Format (DWF) developed by Autodesk. It contains design data, which includes graphics and text. DWF files are saved in a Zip-compressed format to reduce their file size and was introduced back in 1995 to provide an alternative to Adobe's popular PDF format.
This format was designed to be a device and resolution independent drawing format for distributing designs, whereas the PDF was more for general documentation. DWF is not intended to replace popular CAD formats, but instead is used to save designs in a more accessible, open format that can be opened in either a browser or similar free application without the need to purchase specific CAD software. DWF files can be accessed by the free Design Review application, where they can be viewed, marked-up and printed. What are the options if you need to edit the DWF file if the original DWG file gets lost or corrupted?
AutoCAD 2017 introduced the PDF import and DWG conversion facility which enabled users to convert certain PDF files into vector-based DWG geometry, but we couldn’t directly import a DWF file. DWF was intended to be a more secure format with additional properties like meta data and layers. However, using the method below, users can ‘convert’ a DWF file into AutoCAD as an editable DWG using the following steps. This method works with all versions of AutoCAD from 2017 to the current 2023 version.
A few cautionary notes however, the resultant drawing will not be as accurate as the original drawing and some data loss may result, but for certain purposes the recovered drawing may be sufficient for the required task.
To start the process, a DWF file is attached as a reference file.
Under the Insert Tab choose the DWF format and bring it into a new drawing using a clean (metric) template.
Position the file to a suitable origin and ensure the reference is scaled so that any screen measurements tally with on screen dimensions. It may be worth checking at least two or three objects just in case a user exploded dimensions in the original file!
Once it is confirmed, the DWF reference is as accurately sized as it can be. The drawing can be plotted out as a PDF file. For best results and accuracy, set the DPI settings to higher values. 1200 and 400 DPI is usually sufficient for most purposes.
Once exported, the PDF can be imported into another clean drawing. Again, perform some checks on the drawing to ensure key elements have survived the journey and the dimensions are accurate enough to suit the drawing’s purpose.
Bear in mind the file has gone through several conversion processes and will not be as accurate or intact as the original file. Dimensions will likely be recovered as lines and much layer information will be lost, but even so this process can save time when compared to redrawing entire file(s) from scratch!
In this example, text displays as lines but using the command Recognise Text (PDFSHXTEXT) elements can be converted to proper text entities.