Documentation / RealDWG

RealDWG

Reliable, up-to-date, and accurate DWG/DXF access

Get to market faster and give your products a competitive edge with the RealDWG® software development kit (SDK) from Autodesk. It's the only software development toolkit that provides DWG™ file read/write capability from the source.

The RealDWG toolkit helps you share design data with confidence using the native DWG file format so you can create applications with 100 percent DWG read/write capability. Deliver your products with the latest DWG file technology and DWG viewers available from Autodesk.

The RealDWG software library allows C++ and .NET developers to read and write DXF™ and DWG™ files created with AutoCAD® software. The most current version of RealDWG provides compatibility with AutoCAD DWG files, including read and write support for AutoCAD releases since AutoCAD Release 14 and drawing enhancements available with the most current version of AutoCAD. RealDWG is also used internally by Autodesk to provide DWG support in non-AutoCAD-based applications, such as Autodesk® Revit® software-based products and Autodesk® Inventor® software products.

System requirements

RealDWG® 2025

  • Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 11 or Windows 10 version 1809 or above. See Autodesk’s Product Support Lifecycle for support information
  • Processor: 3+ GHz or faster Single- or Multi-Core Intel®, Xeon®, or i-Series 64-bit processor or AMD® equivalent to SSE2 technology. Highest affordable CPU speed rating is recommended
    Note: AutoCAD® software-based products utilize multiple cores for many tasks.
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM or more
  • Disk space: 4 GB free hard disk available not including installation requirements
  • Development environment: Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2022 version 17.8.0 with .NET 8.0 (with C++ option installed)
  • Installation: Download only

  • Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 11 or Windows 10 version 1809 or above. See Autodesk’s Product Support Lifecycle for support information
  • Processor: 3+ GHz or faster Single- or Multi-Core Intel®, Xeon®, or i-Series 64-bit processor or AMD® equivalent to SSE2 technology. Highest affordable CPU speed rating is recommended
    Note: AutoCAD® software-based products utilize multiple cores for many tasks.
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM or more
  • Disk space: 4 GB free hard disk available not including installation requirements
  • Development environment: Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2022 version 17.2.6 with .NET 4.8 (with C++ option installed)
  • Installation: Download only

  • Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® 11 or Windows 10 version 1809 or above. See Autodesk’s Product Support Lifecycle for support information
  • Processor: 3+ GHz or faster Single- or Multi-Core Intel®, Xeon®, or i-Series 64-bit processor or AMD® equivalent to SSE2 technology. Highest affordable CPU speed rating is recommended
    Note: AutoCAD® software-based products utilize multiple cores for many tasks.
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM or more
  • Disk space: 4 GB free hard disk available not including installation requirements
  • Development environment: Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2019 version 16.11.5 (with C++ option installed)
  • Installation: Download only

  • Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10. See Autodesk’s Product Support Lifecycle for support information
  • Processor: 3+ GHz or faster
    Single- or Multi-Core Intel®, Xeon®, or i-Series 64-bit processor or AMD® equivalent to SSE2 technology. Highest affordable CPU speed rating is recommended.
    Note: AutoCAD® software-based products utilize multiple cores for many tasks.
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM or more
  • Disk space: 4 GB free hard disk available not including installation requirements
  • Development environment: Microsoft® Visual Studio® 2019 version 16.7 (with C++ option installed)
  • Installation: Download only

FAQ

The RealDWG® developer toolkit is a software library that allows C++ and .NET developers to read and write AutoCAD software DWG™ and DXF™ files.

RealDWG developer toolkit licensing is handled globally by our partner Tech Soft 3D. More information on licensing and pricing can be found on the Tech Soft 3D RealDWG page. Or test RealDWG.

RealDWG is a subset of the ObjectARX programming environment and contains the APIs for reading and writing AutoCAD DXF and DWG files. RealDWG does not contain support for viewing and accessing the AutoCAD user interface.

Also, ObjectARX applications always require AutoCAD as their host application. RealDWG does not require the presence of AutoCAD software. RealDWG is used to create host applications, but ObjectARX is not.

Developer support for RealDWG® is available through the Autodesk public forums (choose the ObjectARX or .NET forum depending on which RealDWG API you are using) or through the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN).

RealDWG is only available for 64-bit operating systems.

Community and support

Whether you're an experienced RealDWG user or just starting out, this is a good place to ask questions, share tips, connect, and learn from others.