Print Page | Close Window

To what CAD version do you save your drawings?

Printed From: CAD Forum
Category: EN
Forum Name: CAD - general
Forum Description: General discussion about CAD, formats, standards, management, licensing, networking, harware, other CAD applications
URL: https://www.cadforum.cz/forum_en/forum_posts.asp?TID=13102
Printed Date: 16.May.2026 at 05:58


Topic: To what CAD version do you save your drawings?
Posted By: luisfnunes
Subject: To what CAD version do you save your drawings?
Date Posted: 16.Feb.2019 at 13:39
I've been doing some web search and amazingly to me i can't find this topic discussed anywhere.
Autocad or Zwcad (at least these two that i know and work with) have the ability to save the drawings by default in a different version than the program. What i mean is that Autocad 2018 by default saves the drawings in AutoCAD2018 format but under options->File and Save one can choose another previous version to save the drawings like.. Autocad version 2000 for example.
I find myself saving my drawings by default in version 2000 because some coworkers use previous autocad programs and many times i send a drawing only to have it returned asking to have it saved in a previous version.
Also i have found by myself than some drawings, specially on newer versions at some point cause strange errors like, refusing to open the plot dialog box, not printing right, huge delays on opening or even failing to just open the drawing, and the best solution i could so far discover is to just open the drawing in Zwcad and have it saved in 2000 version. Nothing else. just a simple open and save as and when i go back to the other program (always autocad that has these kind of problems…) it just gets back to normal and everything works again.

So my question is: Which DWG version do you use by default .. and why?

Thank you.
Wink



Replies:
Posted By: philippe JOSEPH
Date Posted: 16.Feb.2019 at 16:41
Yes luisfnunes saving from 2018 to 2000 is a big step and it happens that when on AutoCAD 2000 you have at least problems or have it just impossible to open.
I have personnally ended to do this "self downgrade" on my own files after having openning problems with my own files.
Do save your files whith the "by default " version and let your coworkers open it with other programs like the Autodesk Trueview or others to "lower" the version.
I supose that when impossible to open by others means that your files include "too moderns" items, maybe sofisticated 3D.
I remember a long time ago saving to R13 ( 1995 ) a R14 file whith multiple lines texts made it impossible to handle without fatal error so you will have to live with it or ask your coworker to update their AutoCAD; after all lowering down the version is not available on some other programs like Solidworks, NX, etc... 


Posted By: c.chambers
Date Posted: 30.Apr.2019 at 03:05
I always save in the current format I am working in. The only time I worry about this is when I am sharing with external sources. 

I that case I use eTransmit to save to the old version possible.


-------------
C. Chambers, Civil Application Specialist
---
www.infratechcivil.com


Posted By: Roger_king
Date Posted: 28.Jun.2019 at 09:14
Hello Guys,

CAD drawing are usually saved to the current version of cad you are working on. By default AutoCAD will save to the latest DWG version it supports but you have the option to override this when saving.

Thanks & Regards
 Roger King


-------------
CAD & CAM Latest Updates
Chemionix Solutions!



Print Page | Close Window