Umakant Makrani

DXF is short for Drawing Exchange Format or Drawing Interchange Format and is a type of vector file. Many engineers, designers and architects use the DXF file format for 2D and 3D drawings during product design.

DXF files are supported in several 3D applications, but they're more commonly used to share designs across different CAD programmes.

DXF files use the .DXF extension and are completely open-source, so users can access AutoCAD files without using Autodesk programmes. This makes them different from other file formats used in CAD file sharing, such as DWG files.

Launched by Autodesk in 1982, the open-source DXF vector file enabled designers to share drawings across CAD applications. The concept met with a lot of success, allowing DXF files to quickly establish themselves as the go-to format for exchanging designs.

Autodesk also released the closed-source DWG vector file, created for specific usage in AutoCAD, in 1982. DXF was designed so developers could exchange files from other programmes with AutoCAD.

A popular file format for almost half a century, DXFs were released shortly before mainstream file types such as GIFs and JPEGs — and long before Google’s WebPs.

DXF files are free to use and ideal for collaborating on product designs. You can use them to:

The DXF format allows collaborators across different disciplines to work together on the same design or project. For example, a drafter and an architect, using separate CAD applications, can share their progress in one DXF file.

DXF files are known for their accuracy. When you use DXF files for CNC machining or printing, you’re guaranteed a precise outcome — whether or not they’ve been converted. Unlike a raster file, when you scale a vector file, you don’t lose any quality. But, you can’t print DXF files in 3D, so you’ll need to convert them to a STL format first.

Discover more vector file types

Discover the many advantages and disadvantages of DXF files before committing to using this format.

When opening a DXF file, you’ll have the option of converting it to another file type, such as a PDF, DWG or SVG.

If you stick to the DXF format, there are free file viewers available. Autodesk Viewer is a great option for Windows. Apps such as Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD and eDrawings are also available for use on both Windows and Mac computers.

To open a DXF file with Autodesk: click File, select Open, and then choose DXF or .dxf in the file format drop-down. Click Open on the file you want to view.

Follow these simple steps to create DXF files in Adobe Illustrator:

To edit your new DXF file:

You can download DXF files using drawing applications such as Adobe Illustrator. Just click the application menu, click File and Save As, then select DXF format in the file type dialogue box to export.

The DXF format lets you convert several different file types, including PDF, DWG, SVG and specialised files such as CNC (computer numerical control). You can also convert raster image files like GIFs, JPEGs and PNGs.

The DXF format is made for most CAD programmes,  supporting both 2D and 3D drawings and models.

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