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You received a DWG file from an architect, an engineer, or a construction firm. Every blueprint, floor plan, and site layout in a modern building project passes through DWG at some point. The format is Autodesk AutoCAD's native file, and its dominance in the CAD world is so complete that competing software must support it to remain relevant.
DWG is a proprietary binary format — Autodesk controls the specification, though the Open Design Alliance has reverse-engineered it to provide independent read/write support. The format stores 2D drawings and 3D models with layers, dimensions, annotations, blocks, and external references (xrefs). Files from different AutoCAD versions use different DWG versions, which occasionally causes compatibility headaches when old and new software meet.
AutoCAD (subscription, expensive) is the definitive editor. DWG TrueView (free, Autodesk) opens and converts DWG files but can't edit. LibreCAD (free, open-source) handles simpler 2D DWG files. Autodesk Viewer (free, web-based) lets you view DWG in a browser. For exchanging CAD data between different software, DXF is the more portable interchange format.
* Limited DWG support