CAD tip # 8532:

But similarly to scanning texts, paper drawings or 3D scanning, you can also convert (capture) some of the geometrical information from a DWF file. For 2D DWF, the situation is simpler - you can underlay its content as an xref to your AutoCAD DWG file and use it as a "read-only" layer of your drawing file. There are also third-party tools for conversion of vectors from DWF to DXF or other formats.

In case of 3D models in DWF, the situation is more complicated - there is no direct import back into the CAD software. But there are several ways to convert the content of a 3D DWF file to other, editable formats:

• Autodesk Navisworks - can import 3D DWF files and exports FBX files (can be imported e.g. in AutoCAD)
• Inventor Publisher - can open/import 3D DWF files and publish them to other formats (e.g. to 3D PDF and then to CAD with the 3D PDF Converter)
• Deep Exploration CAD - can import 3D DWF files
• Okino PolyTrans with the additional module DWF/HSF can import and translate 3D DWF files