Expert: J. B. Borge - 8/22/2005

Question
I am new to the AutoCAD Lt software and want to know what the difference is with .dwg, .dxf, .dgn, and .hpgl files? Someone in the office said there were many types but they can't explain them very well. If you could give me a quick overview I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for your time.

Marija

Answer
Hello Marija:

Each software that you use on a dialy basis, has its own native file extension. For instance *.doc & *.xls are associated w/ Word & Excel files, respectively. Dwg's are the native file format for Autocad. Dgn's are the native format for Microstation. Since Autocad can't read Microstation files & vise versa, dxf is used. Dxf is a standard format which is commonly used for exchanging data's from different cad platforms. I'm not really sure what *.hpgl files are, but i think these are just plot files which is identical to PDF files. Hope this helps...if u have other questions feel free to ask!

Regards,
JB