Free online FODG to DWG converter

What the FODG format is

FODG is the Flat XML form of an OpenDocument Graphics drawing. LibreOffice Draw creates and opens it; the format stores drawing objects, text, connectors, styles, layers, and page settings as readable XML in a single file. It is used for flowcharts, diagrams, organizational charts, and other vector drawings when an editable, standards-based document is preferred.

You may encounter FODG files exported from LibreOffice Draw or produced by workflows that need an uncompressed XML representation instead of the packaged .odg format. FODG is not a native AutoCAD drawing format and does not contain DWG-specific CAD data such as AutoCAD object types, blocks, or native dimension styles.

What the DWG format is

DWG is a proprietary CAD drawing format associated with AutoCAD and many compatible drafting applications. It stores vector geometry, layers, blocks, text, dimensions, object properties, and model-space or paper-space data in a form intended for technical design and drafting.

DWG is useful when the recipient must edit the drawing in AutoCAD, DraftSight, BricsCAD, or another DWG-compatible CAD application. It can provide better compatibility with CAD layer controls and drafting tools, but it does not preserve every FODG feature as an equivalent native CAD object.

How to convert FODG to DWG

Use the built-in online converter

1. Open the FODG-to-DWG converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the source file drawing.fodg.
3. Choose DWG as the output format and start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting DWG and open it in a DWG-compatible CAD application.
5. Check text, connector lines, page boundaries, layers, scaling, and any embedded images before sending or editing the file.

This option requires no installed conversion software. The result depends on how the converter maps FODG objects to CAD entities.

Use a desktop intermediate format

LibreOffice Draw can read the source but does not provide a native DWG export. A practical desktop workflow is:

1. Open drawing.fodg in LibreOffice Draw.
2. Export a vector copy through File → Export and select SVG.
3. Open the SVG in Inkscape and export it as DXF, using the required unit scale and a suitable DXF version.
4. Open the DXF in AutoCAD, DraftSight, or BricsCAD.
5. Save it as DWG with File → Save As or the application’s equivalent command.

For a vector PDF, another route is File → Export as PDF in LibreOffice Draw, followed by AutoCAD’s PDFIMPORT command and a final DWG save. This works only when the PDF contains usable vector content; scanned or rasterized pages will not become accurate editable geometry.

Quality and compatibility limitations

• FODG connectors may become independent lines rather than associative CAD connectors.
• LibreOffice, Inkscape, and CAD applications can substitute fonts or alter text spacing; install the source fonts and compare labels after conversion.
• Page-oriented FODG layouts may require manual scaling, repositioning, or conversion from paper space to model space.
• Gradients, shadows, transparency, grouped objects, embedded images, and some custom arrowheads may be simplified or omitted.
• SVG-to-DXF workflows can convert text to outlines or lose text entirely, depending on the exporter and font handling.
• DWG version compatibility matters: save to the version required by the recipient’s CAD application.