What exactly is this DWF format that we keep
mentioning in our phone conversations and marketing events? DWF is
a similar file format to PDF in that it is a secure file for
distribution of design data to anyone who needs to view files for
review or printing.
There are however major differences between DWF and
PDF formats and the chart below which has been published by Autodesk
will highlight the capabilities of each.
|
Features |
DWF |
PDF |
|
History |
Design Web Format, an open,
secure format designed specifically for sharing rich engineering
design data. |
Portable Document Format, a
generic format designed for textual-based document exchange. |
|
Basic Functionality |
Enables team members who don't
use CAD applications to participate in the digital design review
process by viewing building, GIS or product designs. |
Preserves document integrity, and
enables businesses to simplify document processes. |
|
Publishable from AutoCAD |
Yes. DWF creation is a built-in
feature of Autodesk design applications such as AutoCAD,
AutoCAD-based products, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk MapGuide,
and Autodesk Revit software. Users can "publish" rich design
data with a single click. |
Yes, but only if the user
purchases Adobe Acrobat Professional 6.0. However not all
features are available. Adobe Acrobat is a "printer driver" and
does not "publish" the full intent of the designs. |
|
Scalability for Design Data |
Yes. Extensible and highly
compressed print-ready format supports multiple pages and design
intelligence. |
No. Limited compression not
architected for large data sets or design intelligence. |
|
Multisheet Drawing Sets |
Yes. The user can publish
multisheet drawing sets from multiple DWG source files to a
single DWF file automatically. DWF also preserves design
coordinates and sheet properties. |
Yes, but with significantly
longer publishing times and resource consumption than DWF.
|
|
3D Models |
Yes. DWF supports publishing and
viewing of 3D models. |
No. |
|
Contains Design Intelligence |
Yes. DWF files are more than an
electronic plot and can contain sheet, object, component, and
mass properties, as well as markup data. |
No. |
|
Optimum File Compression for
Designs |
Yes. |
No. PDF files are often
three-times larger, straining bandwidth and system resources,
and slowing publishing and viewing times. |
|
Open Access, Extensible to Other
Applications |
Yes. The DWF Toolkit enables
users to develop applications that read or write multisheet DWF
drawings for free. In addition, the free Autodesk DWF Viewer API
makes it possible for end users to embed DWF drawings in HTML
and Office applications, or for developers to customize the
viewer for use in third-party applications. |
Yes, but the developer will have
to purchase a license to the libraries to create a PDF. |
|
Preserve CAD Layers |
Yes, automatically publishes only
those layers the author intended as defined by the AutoCAD
layout.
For security purposes layer information is not published unless
selected by the author. |
Yes, but only with the additional
purchase of Acrobat 6 Professional.
Uses a
layer selection tool separate from the AutoCAD layout, which can
lead to standards violations.
Layer
information is published by default, creating a security issue
where end-users may print a document with critical layers
inadvertently turned off. |
|
Print to Scale |
Yes. Supports printing of both 2D
and 3D drawings, maps, and models |
Yes, with some caveats on large
format devices |
|
AutoCAD-Based Views |
Yes. |
Supported by the raw file format,
but not exported by Acrobat Professional. |
|
Xref Support |
Yes. |
Yes. |
|
Hyperlinks |
Yes, automatically published from
the AutoCAD family of products and Autodesk Revit.
|
Supported by the raw file format
but not exported by Acrobat Professional. |
|
Redlines/Comments |
Yes, with the purchase of DWF
Composer. |
Yes, but only with the additional
purchase of Acrobat 6 Professional. |
|
Copy Protection |
No. |
Yes. Several cracking tools are
available on the Internet for breaking this protection. |
|
Password Protection |
Yes. |
Yes. Several cracking tools are
available on the Internet for breaking this protection
especially for older versions of PDF. |
|
Raster Graphics |
Yes. |
Yes. |
|
Vector Graphics |
Yes. |
Yes. |
Regarding the free DWF Viewer I like to think of it
as being ‘CAD smart’. The DWF Viewer uses the same printing and
rendering engines as Autodesk products so that you can plot to the
original scale verse having to print. The DWF Viewer also includes the
ability to access the critical information embedded in design files,
including detailed information about each sheet, access to object
properties, named views etc. If you need the ability to measure or
mark-up and annotate the design data then the DWF Composer is a low cost
solution as compared to Adobe Writer. The DWF Composer also opens the
door to viewing native Autodesk data types such as DWG, Inventor Parts,
Assemblies or Drawings. Throw in the Autodesk Vault solution and
publishing of DWF files can be automatic with no worry of a DWF file not
matching the latest revision in the Vault.
