SVG to DWG: how to convert an SVG into AutoCAD

SVG to DWG is a clean vector-to-vector conversion, no tracing needed, and the free route is Inkscape to DXF followed by DXF to DWG. This viewer does not convert SVG to DWG (it opens DWG and DXF and exports SVG, not the other way), so this page covers the Inkscape and Illustrator methods, why curves end up as polylines or splines, and how to get the scale right.

SVG and DWG: same idea, different vocabulary

Both formats describe geometry mathematically, so nothing has to be guessed. The mismatch is in the vocabulary. SVG draws with cubic Bezier paths, fills, gradients, transforms, and CSS; DWG draws with lines, arcs, circles, polylines, splines, and hatches, in drawing units on layers. A converter has to translate Bezier curves into something CAD understands, flatten transforms, and decide what a filled shape becomes.

That is why an SVG logo that looks perfect in a browser arrives in AutoCAD as polylines with many short segments, or as splines, with no fill. Everything is still there and editable; it just is not built the way a drafter would have built it. For cutting, engraving, signage, and importing artwork into a drawing that is fine. For a parametric part, redraw it. The AutoCAD side of the story is on the DWG file page.

Which method for which case

How to convert SVG to DWG with Inkscape and ODA (free)

1. Open the SVG in Inkscape. Select all and run Path > Object to Path so text, rectangles, circles, and stars become plain paths that export correctly.
2. If the artwork uses strokes of different widths that must become cut lines, leave them; if shapes should become outlines of their stroke, run Path > Stroke to Path on those objects.
3. Ungroup everything (Shift+Ctrl+G, repeat until nothing changes) and apply transforms: moving an object slightly and back forces Inkscape to bake its transform into the coordinates.
4. Document Properties: set display units to mm or in and check the page size matches the real size of the artwork.
5. File > Save As, type "Desktop Cutting Plotter (AutoCAD DXF R14)". Options: base unit mm (or in), tick "use LWPOLYLINE type of line output", and tick "use ROBO-Master type of spline output" only if the receiving program handles splines.
6. Convert the DXF to DWG with ODA File Converter (free, Windows, macOS, Linux), choosing the DWG version your recipient needs; full steps on DXF to DWG. Or open the DXF in AutoCAD and SAVEAS DWG.

For batches, Inkscape 1.x runs headless: inkscape logo.svg --export-type=dxf --export-filename=logo.dxf, then point ODA at the folder.

Illustrator export, and what happens to curves

Adobe Illustrator exports DWG and DXF directly: File > Export > Export As, choose AutoCAD Drawing, and in the options pick the AutoCAD version, units, and whether to export text as text or outlines. It writes arcs and splines rather than only polylines, which gives smoother results in CAD than Inkscape's exporter, and keeps Illustrator layers as DWG layers.

Why curves change: AutoCAD has no cubic Bezier entity. A converter either approximates each curve with short straight segments (LWPOLYLINE, reliable everywhere, slightly faceted at high zoom), or writes a SPLINE (smooth, but some CNC and laser software rejects splines). Inkscape's "ROBO-Master spline" option toggles between the two; Illustrator uses splines and arcs by default. Pick polylines for cutting, splines for drawings that will be edited.

Fills do not convert. A filled SVG circle becomes an empty circle outline. If you need hatched areas, hatch them in CAD afterwards.

What to check after conversion

• Scale. SVG user units are 96 per inch. A 100 mm logo that arrives as 377.95 units means the unit setting was left at px; rescale by 0.2646 or re-export with mm.
• Mirroring. SVG's Y axis points down, CAD's points up. Good exporters flip it; if your drawing is upside down, MIRROR it.
• Closed paths. Shapes meant for cutting must be closed polylines; look for open ends at corners.
• Segment count. Thousands of tiny segments on a smooth curve means the flattening tolerance was too fine; export as splines or simplify in Inkscape first.
• Text. Converted text is outlines, not editable text.

Open the DWG on dwgviewer.app to check scale with the measure tool and see the entity count; the file never leaves your computer. If DXF is enough for your target, the shorter version of this guide is SVG to DXF; the reverse direction, DWG to SVG, is something the viewer does export.

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