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| Filename extension | .dxf |
|---|---|
| Internet media type | image/vnd.dxf |
| Developed by | Autodesk |
| Initial release | December 1982; 42 years ago (1982-12) |
| Latest release | |
| Type of format | CAD data exchange |
AutoCAD DXF (Drawing Interchange Format, orDrawing Exchange Format) is acomputer-aided design (CAD) datafile format developed byAutodesk[2] to enableCAD data exchange and interoperability between AutoCAD on differentcomputing platforms.[3]
DXF was introduced in December 1982 as part of AutoCAD 1.0, and was intended to provide an exact representation of the data in the AutoCAD native file format, DWG (Drawing). For many years, Autodesk did not publish specifications, making correct creation of DXF files difficult. Autodesk now publishes the incomplete[3] DXF specifications online.
Versions of AutoCAD from Release 10 (October 1988) and up support both American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) andbinary forms of DXF.[4]: 59 Earlier versions support only ASCII.
As AutoCAD has become more powerful, supporting more complex object types, DXF has become less useful. Certain object types, includingACIS solids and regions, are not documented. Other object types, including AutoCAD 2006's dynamic blocks, and all of the objects specific to thevertical market versions of AutoCAD, are partially documented, but not well enough to allow other developers to support them. For these reasons many CAD applications use theDWG format which can be licensed from Autodesk or non-natively from theOpen Design Alliance.
DXF files do not directly specify the units of measurement used for its coordinates and dimensions. DXF files have a HEADER section where a $INSUNITS variable may specify the intended unit (e.g., 1 for inches, 4 for millimeters). However, not all DXF files contain this information, and some software ignores it.
Most CAD systems and many vector graphics packages support the import and export of DXF files, notablyAdobe products,Inkscape, andBlender. Some CAD systems use DXF as their native format, notablyQCAD andLibreCAD.
ASCII versions of DXF can be read with anytext editor. The basic organization of a DXF file is as follows:[5]
HEADER sectionCLASSES sectionBLOCKS,ENTITIES, andOBJECTS sections of the database. Generally does not provide sufficient information to allow interoperability with other programs.TABLES sectionAPPID) tableBLOCK_RECORD) tableDIMSTYLE) tableLAYER) tableLTYPE) tableSTYLE) tableUCS) tableVIEW) tableVPORT) tableBLOCKS sectionENTITIES sectionOBJECTS sectionTHUMBNAILIMAGE sectionEND OF FILEThe data format of a DXF is called a "tagged data" format, which "means that each data element in the file is preceded by an integer number that is called a group code. A group code's value indicates what type of data element follows. This value also indicates the meaning of a data element for a given object (or record) type. Virtually all user-specified information in a drawing file can be represented in DXF format."[6]
Because comprehensive documentation does not exist,[3] consideration is often given to alternativeopen file formats such as Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG, defined by theWorld Wide Web Consortium (W3C)),Design Web Format (DWF, defined by Autodesk[7]), or evenEncapsulated PostScript (EPS,International Organization for Standardization (ISO) andInternational Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard 29112:2018). DXF (andDWG) is still a preferred format for CAD files for use by the ISO.[8]
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Authority control databases: National |
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