CCADAlts

How to convert AutoCAD DWG drawings to DXF with LibreCAD

Checked against the official docs on

LibreCAD's command-line converters turn DWG drawings into DXF (or PDF, PNG and SVG) without opening the editor: librecad dwg2dxf -o drawing.dxf drawing.dwg.

These converters are documented in LibreCAD's README on GitHub. DWG input and output need a LibreCAD build with DWG support enabled, so run librecad dwg2dxf -h first to check yours has it.

  1. Convert one drawing

    Run librecad dwg2dxf -V r2018 -o drawing.dxf drawing.dwg to turn a DWG into a DXF R2018 file. Without -o, the output is saved beside the input with the same base name.

  2. Pick the DXF version

    -V sets the DXF version: r12, r14, r2000, r2004, r2007 (the default), r2010, r2013 or r2018. Use the oldest one the receiving software needs.

  3. Convert a batch

    List several input files and use -t <directory> to choose where the outputs go. -t and -o can't be combined.

  4. Make a PDF for review

    librecad dxf2pdf -a -o drawing.pdf drawing.dxf fits and centres the drawing on the page.

  5. Open the DXF in LibreCAD

    Open the converted DXF in LibreCAD to edit it.

Watch out for

  • On a server without a display, set QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen for PDF, PNG and SVG conversion.
  • Use librecad <command> -h for the full list of options.

Sources: github.com/LibreCAD/LibreCAD. Menus and options can change between versions; if a step doesn't match what you see, follow the linked page.