Shapefile to DWG (AutoCAD) converter
Upload your Shapefile file and get DWG, which opens in AutoCAD in a couple of minutes: osm2cdr reads the geometry of your file and hands you a ready DWG straight away. Processing runs on our servers, the result is ready to download as soon as it finishes, and files up to 50 MB are supported. And if you have no file of your own, or need a fresh map of an area, osm2cdr builds DWG straight from the OpenStreetMap map: you simply pick an area on the map, choose the DWG format and download the result with up-to-date OSM data — with layers for buildings, roads, water and features.
How Shapefile differs from DWG
| Format | Extension | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shapefile | .shp | GIS | ArcGIS, QGIS, spatial analysis, cartography |
| DWG | .dwg | CAD | Architectural design, master plans, construction documentation, land surveying |
How to get DWG on osm2cdr
- 1Select an area on the map on the osm2cdr home page
- 2Choose the DWG format and, if needed, a style and CRS
- 3Click Export and download the ready DWG file
DWG format properties
| Extension | .dwg |
| Type | CAD |
| Purpose | Architectural design, master plans, construction documentation, land surveying |
When you need DWG
The main scenario is simple: you already have a Shapefile file — upload it and osm2cdr returns DWG, ready to use in a dedicated program (editing, printing, analysis, embedding in a project). The alternative is for when you have no file at hand or need a fresh map of an area: the same DWG is then built straight from up-to-date OpenStreetMap data for your chosen area, split into layers for buildings, roads, water and features.
What changes when going Shapefile → DWG
Drop in a Shapefile file and osm2cdr reads its geometry and returns DWG; and with no file of your own, the same DWG is built straight from the OpenStreetMap map for your chosen area. Either way the data model changes. Going Shapefile → DWG, GIS attribute tables are not carried into the drawing: geometry is laid out across named layers (buildings, roads, water) while coordinate accuracy is preserved. The result targets CAD work, not attribute analysis. osm2cdr builds DWG straight from OpenStreetMap data, so an intermediate Shapefile file is not needed.
Upload your own Shapefile file → DWG
No need to hunt for a third-party converter anymore: drop your Shapefile file in the form above and osm2cdr will read the geometry and hand you a ready DWG. Files up to 50 MB are supported; processing runs on our servers and the result is ready to download as soon as it finishes.
The DWG format in depth
Shapefile to DWG: GIS layers in an AutoCAD drawing
The shapefile is still the most common GIS exchange format. QGIS and ArcGIS export to it, open-data portals publish in it, and survey contractors deliver in it. Civil engineers and estimators, however, live in AutoCAD and want those GIS layers as DWG.
Typical requests come from engineers handed parcel or utility outlines by a GIS team, urban planners who need block boundaries as a backdrop, and highway designers whose surveyors delivered centrelines as SHP.
A shapefile is several files that belong together, so the easiest way is to zip them and upload the archive. The service reads the set with GDAL, reprojects it and builds a layered DWG with labels.
What carries over and what gets lost
You need at least the .shp, .shx and .dbf, plus a .prj for correct georeferencing. Without a .prj, coordinates that look like degrees are treated as WGS84; metre coordinates with no declared projection are rejected, because the service will not guess a coordinate system.
The DBF attribute table is not copied into the drawing as a table: the DWG receives geometry, and a feature name may show up as a label. If the fields hold OSM tags (building, highway, waterway and so on), features are sorted into thematic layers; otherwise polygons go to the buildings layer, lines to the roads layer and points to the places layer. QGIS or ArcGIS symbology is not transferred.
Multipolygons and polygons with holes become sets of closed polylines. Z values from PolylineZ and PolygonZ are ignored, so the drawing is flat. The output is a DWG in AutoCAD 2018 format with Web Mercator metre coordinates (EPSG:3857).
Step by step
- Gather every file of the layer that shares the same name: .shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and, if present, the .cpg encoding file.
- Zip them (a flat archive without subfolders is the safest) and select the archive in the form; a lone .shp without its companion files is refused, and the service asks for a ZIP.
- Run the conversion. The archive is extracted safely and the coordinate system is checked before the job is queued.
- Open the resulting .dwg in AutoCAD, BricsCAD or nanoCAD and run _ZOOM then _E.
- Review the layers in _LAYER and rename them to your company standard with _RENAME if needed.
- Keep the Web Mercator scale in mind when measuring: take exact dimensions from the source SHP in your GIS and use the drawing as a graphic base.
Limits
Archives up to 50 MB, up to 200,000 features; large layers are best clipped to the project area in QGIS beforehand.
Metre coordinates without a .prj are refused, and without a .cpg non-ASCII values in the DBF may be decoded with the wrong encoding.
Around Denver (about 39.7° N) one Web Mercator metre is roughly 0.77 m on the ground, so drawing lengths are inflated by about 1.30 times.
Example result
Example: a city GIS team in Denver exports block boundaries, street centrelines and bus stops as SHP. After conversion the blocks are closed polylines on the buildings layer, the centrelines polylines on the roads layer, and the stops points on the places layer with names on the labels layer. The drawing is ready to serve as a backdrop: lock the source layers and draft the design on top.
FAQ: Shapefile → DWG
Can I upload my Shapefile file?
Yes, now you can: upload your Shapefile file right on this page and osm2cdr will read the geometry and convert it to DWG. Files up to 50 MB are supported. If the data comes from OpenStreetMap, you can skip the upload entirely — we'll export the map straight into DWG.
Is it free?
Yes, exporting an OpenStreetMap map to DWG on osm2cdr is free. Select an area, the DWG format and download the result.
Which programs open DWG?
The DWG format opens in dedicated programs for its category. See the DWG format page for the full list and details.
Why is this better than an online Shapefile → DWG converter?
An online converter caps the result quality at the quality of the source Shapefile file. osm2cdr takes data from the OpenStreetMap source and builds DWG with correct layers directly — with no loss on an intermediate Shapefile file.
Which shapefile parts should I upload?
Ideally a ZIP with the .shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj and .cpg of one layer. A lone .shp is refused: it cannot be opened without the .shx and .dbf, so the service asks for the archive.
Why was my file rejected over its coordinate system?
If there is no .prj and the coordinates are not degrees, the projection cannot be determined. Add the .prj to the archive and upload again.
Will the DBF attributes come through?
The attribute table is not written to the DWG. Feature names may appear as labels, and OSM tags in the fields decide the layer.
Can the drawing keep my state plane or national grid?
No. In this mode the drawing is always built in Web Mercator, whatever the source projection was. If the original coordinates matter, export DWG from your GIS directly and use this file as a styled graphic base.
Does the DWG open in nanoCAD or BricsCAD?
Yes, both handle DWG natively. AutoCAD needs release 2018 or later.