Autodesk DWF (Design Web Format)
Open BetabetaDWF (Design Web Format) is an Autodesk format for publishing and viewing design data without editing. Physically it is a ZIP archive with a manifest.xml and a graphics section. Our exporter assembles such an archive from OSM layers: each layer (roads, buildings, water, greenery) gets its own color, and the geometry lands in a W2D section as polylines and polygons. Note honestly: we write a simplified XML DWF structure, convenient for programmatic parsing, rather than the full binary opcode stream that some official viewers expect — so DWF here works best as an archival, layer exchange container for the map.
Key Features
About DWF Format
DWF is an Autodesk format for publishing project data: it was invented to show drawings to a client and to related trades without handing over the source DWG. Physically it is a ZIP archive with a manifest and graphic sections inside.
Our export is worth treating as a layered exchange container rather than as a replacement for a drawing. The archive holds a manifest and a W2D graphic section, where the OSM layers — roads, buildings, water, greenery — lie separately, each with its own color, and the geometry is written as polylines and polygons in WGS84 coordinates.
An important caveat: the W2D section is written as a simplified XML structure, convenient for programmatic parsing, rather than as the full binary stream of commands that some official viewers expect. So the file is good for an archive and for your own scripts, and if you need a drawing that is guaranteed to open in CAD, take DWG or DXF. There is no lettering and no styling in the file — only geometry by layer.
What Program Opens DWF Files
The following programs and applications can open, edit, and work with Autodesk DWF (Design Web Format) (.dwf) files exported from OSM2CDR:
Format specifications
- Proprietary format
- 2D only
- Lossless (no quality loss)
- No attributes
- Output: 1 file
- An Autodesk DWF as a ZIP with manifest.xml and a W2D graphics section; a simplified XML structure rather than the full binary opcode stream, best as an archival exchange container.
Who Uses DWF Maps
How to Export DWF
How to Open After Export
- Autodesk Design Review or DWG TrueView — try opening the file first thing: that shows right away whether it suits your viewer.
- Any archiver — rename the extension to .zip and unpack it: inside are manifest.xml and the graphic section, and the structure is easy to study by eye.
- Your own scripts — the W2D section is parsed by an ordinary XML parser, the layers and colors are read directly without specialized libraries.
- If you need a working drawing — download DWG or DXF: they open in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, NanoCAD and KOMPAS with no reservations.
Popular maps in DWF
Get Autodesk DWF (Design Web Format) map exports
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