AutoCAD 2005 already offers all of the functionality to convert DWG files. Anyone using the latest AutoCAD can share files with users of any AutoCAD or other CAD program. This functionality was designed and developed by Autodesk specifically for customers to easily share designs, while ensuring the complete integrity and accuracy of their data. It is a safe, highly reliable choice. There is an option in AutoCAD 2005 to export to the Drawing Interchange Format DXF which is a publicly documented format. AutoCAD 2005 can save back to a AutoCAD R12 version of DXF.
Using products such as the recently announced DWGgateway, which are not created or supported by Autodesk, puts customers’ data at significant risk and can severely compromise the integrity and accuracy of their designs.
Autodesk provides a free utility, the "Batch Drawing Converter," which allows customers to convert their files from the present version to and from previous (back to r14). This free download is available at: http://www.autodesk.com/migrationtools. AutoCAD 2005 also reads all DWG files from the early releases of AutoCAD back in the 1980's with AutoCAD version 2.
Autodesk remains committed to providing customers with open solutions and interoperability with other vendors products; however, Autodesk customers’ using similar products from SolidWorks and other vendors have encountered significant compatibility issues and found data exchange to be extremely unreliable and error prone. In fact they found that these products significantly delayed projects, as they were forced to spend time and money “undoing” the work of these tools.
