How to convert Adobe Illustrator (AI) to DWG
Illustrator artwork — logos, title-block graphics, site diagrams — often has to end up in CAD. AI is a PDF variant with private Adobe data, so the reliable route goes through a format both sides genuinely agree on.
Short answer: In Illustrator: File → Export As → DWG or DXF. Set units and scale explicitly, because artboards are in points by default. Gradients, blend modes and raster effects are lost or flattened to images.
| Converts in this browser | No — AI needs the CAD app that owns it |
|---|---|
| Cost | Guide is free; CAD application or plan terms may apply |
| From | AI — Adobe Illustrator |
| To | DWG — AutoCAD Drawing |
| Steps | 5 |
Why there is no uploader on this page
AI is a closed format that no browser can read, so an in-page converter would have to send your file to a server. The procedure below does the job properly in the application that owns the format — and where a browser-side route exists, it is linked underneath.
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Converting AI to DWG, step by step
- 1In Illustrator: File → Export As → DWG or DXF. Set units and scale explicitly, because artboards are in points by default.
- 2No Illustrator licence? Save/export the artwork as PDF or SVG, then bring that into CAD: AutoCAD's PDFIMPORT converts PDF vectors into lines, polylines and hatches.
- 3Before exporting, expand strokes and text (Object → Expand, Type → Create Outlines) — brushes and live text do not translate.
- 4Release clipping masks and flatten transparency; CAD has no equivalent for either.
- 5In CAD, run OVERKILL and check the scale against a known dimension, then assign proper layers and lineweights.
What to watch out for
- Gradients, blend modes and raster effects are lost or flattened to images.
- Text converted to outlines is no longer editable text — keep a live copy of the artwork.
- AI curves are Bézier; CAD receives splines, which some detailing workflows dislike. Convert critical curves to polylines.
Illustrator's native vector format, a PDF variant with private Adobe data alongside it.
AutoCAD's native binary drawing format. Closed and version-specific, so it needs AutoCAD or a licensed library to read.
Questions
Is AI to DWG lossless?
No. You are moving from a graphic-design model to a drafting model: strokes become geometry with lineweights, and effects do not survive.
What about EPS artwork?
Same route. Open the EPS in Illustrator or Inkscape, then export DXF/SVG/PDF for CAD.
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