To want edit DWG files on Windows 11/10? Here is a complete guide for you to edit DWG file on your Windows 11/10 PC. DWG which is deceived from the drawing is a CAD file format developed by Autodesk. This is a native file format used in AutoCAD software and has also been adapted by other free CAD software. It basically stores vector layered graphics and metadata with binary encoding. This file format is widely used by architects, engineers and graphic designers for making plans and drawings.
Now if you want to edit DWG file on Windows 11/10 PC, what to do? If you are asking yourself the same question, here is your answer. In this article, we are going to show you methods to edit DWG file. You can use free third-party software to make changes to a DWG file. These also support DXF file format for editing models. While one of them allows you to save the edited DWG file in its native format, others allow you to save the DWG in DXF or other format. Let’s take a look at these free DWG file editors.
How can I edit a DWG file without AutoCAD?
To edit a DWG file without AutoCAD, you can use other software that supports the DWG file format and allows you to edit drawings saved in DWG format. If you want to use free software, you can check out this article where we have listed some best free DWG editing software. There is this free software called nanoCAD which allows you to import, view, edit and save DWG files in their native format. You can also use other free software for the same; let us check out the full list below.
Read: How to view and edit a CDR file in Windows?
How to edit DWG files in Windows 11/10
Here are the free software you can use to edit DWG files on your Windows 11/10 PC:
- nanoCAD
- LibreCAD
- SolveSpace
Now let’s discuss the above mentioned DWG editors in detail!
1]nanoCAD
You can try this software called nanoCAD to edit DWG files on Windows 11/10. It is professional CAD software which also provides free edition. You can use its free version to edit DWG files for free. It is a feature rich yet fairly easy to use DWG editor. Let’s take a look at the steps to edit the DWG files it contains.
- Download and install nanoCAD.
- Launch the nanoCAD software.
- Open a DWG file or create a new document to create a new DWG file.
- Use various modeling tools to modify or create a drawing.
- Save the modified DWG file.
Now let’s work out the steps mentioned above!
First of all, you need to download and install the nanoCAD software on your PC; you can download it from nanocad.com. Then launch the interface of this software.
Then you can open your DWG file that you want to edit using the File> Open option. If you want to create a new DWG drawing file from scratch, click the button File> New Document option. The good part is that you can create and edit multiple DWG files in different tabs at once.
Now comes the main task of editing or creating a DWG file using several CAD modeling tools. You can find a large number of tools for creating designs. You can draw meshes, lines, radii, centerlines, arcs, splines, blocks, tables, points, shapes, fill shapes, solids, boundaries, and more.
In addition, you can use some editing tools, including Erase, Copy, Mirror, Move, Rotate, Scale, Lengthen Objects, Align, Clip Vectors, Explode, Chamfer, Join Objects, and more. Apart from that, you can edit layers, draw and find dimensions such as diameter, radius, arc, base dimension, group dimension, and more to your DWG drawing. Additionally, you can insert DWG reference, image from file, add layout from template, insert block, etc., and make other edits in the DWG file.
When you are done editing or creating a DWG drawing, go to the File menu and select the Save As option. You can then save the edited or created drawing in DWG format.
Features of nanoCAD to watch out for:
Here are some features of nanoCAD that are worth mentioning:
- It provides drawing utilities to audit, recover and purge your drawing files.
- You can save your drawings in different versions of the AutoCAD DWG file including 2013, 2010, 2007, 2004, 2000, R14, R13, and R11.
- It also allows you to edit and save designs in DXF format.
- You can also plot and print DWG drawings.
Overall, this is one of the best DWG editing software for making edits to your DWG files or even creating new DWG files.
Read: How to convert DWG to PDF on Windows?
2]LibreCAD
LibreCAD is a free and open source 2D CAD application that allows you to edit DWG files. Using it, you can edit DWG files as well as DXF. You can even design a new design from scratch using it. It provides all of the standard DWG editing tools required to edit your AutoCAD drawings. Here are the main steps to edit DWG files:
- Download and install LibreCAD.
- Start the app.
- Open a DWG file.
- Modify the drawing using the available tools.
- Save the DWG file.
Now let’s break down the above steps in detail!
First of all, download and install this software and then open it on your PC. Now go to File> Open option and browse and import a DWG file. You will now be able to view and edit the AutoCAD drawing file.
To edit the DWG file, you can use the available CAD design tools. In it, you can draw different types of lines, circles, curves, ellipses, polylines, etc. in the source DWG file. You can also insert text into your designs. In addition, it allows you to add aligned, linear, horizontal, vertical, radial, diametral, angular, and leader dimensions to your DWG drawing. Additionally, you can edit and manage different layers in the DWG file from the Layers panel on the right.
After modifying the DWG file, you can save the modified file in different versions of the DXF file format by using the File> Save As option. Unfortunately, it does not allow you to save the edited DWG file in its native format.
Besides DXF, it allows you to convert DWG to SVG, PDF or an image (PNG, JPEG, BMP, WebP, TIFF, etc.). To do this, go to the File menu and click on the Export, then select the desired export option.
It is a simple 2D CAD software that allows you to edit DWG files. It contains plugins that you can use for additional functionality. The plugins you can use are Read ASCII points, List entities, Read PIC file, Import ESRI Shapefile, Plot Plugin, and more. You can download this software from librecad.org.
See: How to view and convert IGS files on Windows?
3]SolveSpace
You can also try SolveSpace to edit DWG files on Windows 11/10. This is a free portable 2D / 3D parametric CAD software that allows you to edit DWG and DXF files. Using it, you can also create models in various 3D file formats including STEP, STL, OBJ, WRL, etc. After editing, you can save it as DXF or image formats like PNG, EPS, PS, PDF, etc. It even allows you convert DWG or DXF to G-Code.
This software also allows you to analyze DWG file and other models of the Analyze menu. From here you can measure volume, measure area, measure perimeter, display interfering parts, display bare edges, display center of mass, display underconstrained points, plot points, etc.
Here are the main steps to edit a DWG file in SolveSpace:
- Download SolveSpace.
- Launch this portable application.
- Open an input DWG file using the File> Import option.
- Use CAD tools to modify the drawing.
- Save the edited DWG file in a supported output format.
First, download SolveSpace from its official website. And then, run the downloaded application file to launch this portable software.
Now go to the File menu and click on the Import option to browse and open a DWG file. You will be able to visualize the drawing which is made up of it which you will be able to edit.
Then use the multiples sketching tools, adding text, extruding, revolving, helices and boolean operations, sketching in 3D, and more to edit the DWG file. It provides a Constrain menu from which you can also draw and analyze dimensions such as diameter / distance, angle, reference angle, horizontal, vertical, aspect ratio, differences, etc.
After editing the drawing, you can save it in DXF, Image format, or other supported file format using the File> Save options.
See: How to convert OBJ to FBX using Paint 3D on Windows?
Can I edit a DXF file?
Yes, you can edit a DXF file. For this, you can use any of the software mentioned in this article. The good thing is that all the software mentioned supports the DXF output format. So you can open a DXF file, view and edit the model, and then export it in its native format.
Hope this article helps you find a suitable DWG editor to edit DWG files on your Windows 11/10 PC.
Now read: Best free LaTeX editors for Windows 11/10.
