How to Import Files from AutoCAD to SolidWorks?

Working as a design engineer involves engaging with different softwares and people using different softwares. As you are here reading this article, we guess the different platforms in this case are AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS. Read further and get the perfect guide to import files from AutoCAD to Solidworks.

AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS
Before jumping to the stepwise instructions let us go through a quick brief of these softwares.
AutoCAD is a Computer Aided Drafting and Designing software built by Autodesk in December 1982. Since then it has continued to be a brilliant tool for design engineers in making prototypes and 2D/3D designs.
Solidworks was introduced by Dassault Systemes in November 1995. It can help in designing 3D models, running simulations, and managing or publishing data.
Both the tools have a lot in common yet they different on various grounds. If your fellow designer is working on Solidworks and you are interacting with AutoCAD or vice versa there will be a frequent exchange of files. Let us make this easier for you and move on to the guide to import AutoCAD files to Solidworks.

Export File form AutoCAD

Contents

We have to save the file from AutoCAD which we can open in Solidworks. AutoCAD has few file formats for different versions of AutoCAD.

To save the CAD modal, Click on Save as icon on top menu bar. Open the location where you want to save the file, give name to the file and select the file format. Click on Save to save the file. Usually we save .DWF or .DXF file format. As solidworks has feature which can make these file format compatible to open in the Solidworks.

Importing Dwg file into Solidworks

To open a DWG file in Solidworks,

On the start-up page of Solidworks, Click on the Open icon or File > Open or you can press Ctrl + O to open the file.

A file Browse window will come up. Usually, in fill format, it is selected as All files* that is it will show all file formats.

But sometimes the DWG file will not be visible. Solidworks by default shows the .sldprt or .sldasm file to select and open. In order to show the DWG file, click on File format and using the dropdown option select the Autodesk AutoCAD Files (*.dwg; *.dxf) file format. Now all the files with .dwg file format will be visible in the browse window screen.

Browse the DWG file and select it then, Click on Open.

In the next step, Solidworks will open the window and we need to set some settings before opening the file.

We get various methods to open DWG/DXF files in Solidworks.

Create a new SOLIDWORKS drawing

Convert to Solidworks Entities
Embed as a sheet in native DXF/DWG format

Importing to a new part as:

2D Sketch
3D curves or model

Convert to Solidworks Entities

Select Convert to Solidworks Entities and then Click on Next.

In the next window, you can select the Layers to show in the drawing. You can set the orientation of the drawing as well. After selecting the needed options and setting click on Next.

In the next window, you will have options to Change or set the Data Units. The drawing paper size can be adjusted, drawing scale and geometry positioning onto the sheet. The drawing will be created in the Solidworks Drawing. Now you can give annotations or descriptions about the drawing.

Importing to a new part as:

1. 2d sketch

Select 2D Sketch and then Click on Next.

In the next window, you can select the Layers to show in the drawing. You can set the orientation of the drawing as well. After selecting the needed options and setting click on Next.

In the next window, you will have options to Merge points or overlap the entities which are closer. We can define the sketch origin and also rotate it about the origin. We can also remove the entities which are not important. The 2d Sketch will open in Solidworks now you can edit or apply features to this sketch.