Design Web Format (DWF) is a secure file format developed by Autodesk for the efficient distribution and communication of rich design data to anyone who needs to view, review, or print design files. Because DWF files are highly compressed, they are smaller and faster to transmit than design files, without the overhead associated with complex CAD drawings (or the management of external links and dependencies). With DWF functionality, publishers of design data can limit the specific design data and plot styles to only what they want recipients to see and can publish multisheet drawing sets from multiple AutoCAD drawings in a single DWF file. They can also publish 3D models from most Autodesk design applications.

DWFx — the future format of DWF — is based upon the XML Paper Specification (XPS) format from Microsoft®.
Autodesk has teamed with Microsoft to seamlessly integrate DWF technology with Windows Vista using the XML Paper Specification (XPS). 2D or 3D drawing created with Autodesk CAD software, DWFx may contain 3D design data, object properties, and metadata.

1. DWFx files are easily distributable on the Windows® Vista™ platform as this format is supported by the XPS Viewer. Internet Explorer users can view the file. If you create a DWFx file instead of DWF, you can also view and markup the DWFx files using Autodesk® Design Review 2008, 2009, or 2010
   
   
2. If you create a DWFx file instead of DWF and want to use the Markup Set Manager to view the comments people made using Autodesk Design Review, you will need AutoCAD 2009 or later. (AutoCAD 2008 could publish a DWFx but viewing the DWFx in AutoCAD via the Markup Set Manager was not supported until 2009.)

1 – DWF is an as-plotted view of a DWG. There’s no need for Object Enablers, x-refs, special fonts, etc. As such, many reprography shops accept DWF files directly like plot files.

2 – DWF can contain an entire project’s worth of drawings, especially easy when using AutoCAD 2006 to publish a single DWF from a collection or sheet set of DWG files.

3 – DWF does not depend on which versions of AutoCAD may be in use across team members. The free Autodesk DWF Viewer reads all DWF files past and present. The free Autodesk DWF Viewer is typically a smaller download and footprint than DWG viewers.

4 – DWF files provide a basis for archiving legacy data. The DWF files capture original “as printed” record documents that anyone can access easily – now and in the future.

5 – DWF is a read-only, secure file format.

6 – DWF is a smaller, more compressed file format than native DWG files, making them easier to transmit over the web. This is particularly pertinent when attaching files through email

DWG ("drawing") is a file format used for storing two and three dimensional design data and metadata. It is the native format for several CAD packages including AutoCAD, IntelliCAD (and its variants) and Caddie. In addition, DWG is supported non-natively[2] by many other CAD applications. The .bak (drawing backup), .dws (drawing standards), .dwt (drawing template) and .sv$ (temporary automatic save) files are also DWG files.

DXF (Drawing Interchange Format, or Drawing Exchange Format) is a CAD data file format developed by Autodesk for enabling data interoperability between AutoCAD and other programs. DXF was originally introduced in December 1982 as part of AutoCAD 1.0, and was intended to provide an exact representation of the data in the AutoCAD native file format, DWG (Drawing), for which Autodesk for many years did not publish specifications.

DWF (Design Web Format) files are not a replacement for native CAD formats such as AutoCAD drawings (DWG). The sole purpose of DWF is to allow designers, engineers, project managers, and their colleagues to communicate design information and design content to anyone needing to view, review, or print design information – without these team members needing to know AutoCAD or other design software.