Free online KMZ to DWG converter

CAD and surveying software often requires DWG for editing, measurement, drafting, and archiving, while geographic data commonly arrives as KMZ from Google Earth. Converting it makes compatible points, lines, polygons, or 3D models available in a CAD workflow.

What the KMZ format is

KMZ is a ZIP archive containing a KML document and, optionally, images, 3D models, style files, and other resources. KML describes geographic features such as placemarks, paths, polygons, ground overlays, camera views, and altitude information.

KML coordinates normally use the WGS 84 geographic reference system. Each coordinate is written as longitude, latitude, and optionally altitude. Google Earth Pro creates KMZ files through File → Save Place As. GIS, mapping, and 3D visualization applications can also create KMZ files.

A KMZ can contain only vector features, or it can reference a COLLADA .dae model with texture images. To inspect a copy, rename model.kmz to model.zip and extract it. The main document is usually doc.kml; model geometry and textures may be stored in subfolders. Network links can point to resources that are not included in the archive and will not be available offline.

What the DWG format is

DWG is a CAD drawing format used by AutoCAD, Civil 3D, AutoCAD Map 3D, BricsCAD, ZWCAD, and other engineering applications. It can store editable lines, arcs, polylines, blocks, text, dimensions, layers, meshes, 3D faces, surfaces, and, depending on the application, solids and materials.

DWG is appropriate when the converted data must be measured, edited, layered, plotted, combined with survey data, or archived with an engineering drawing. It preserves CAD entities more effectively than an image or PDF, but it does not preserve every KML feature, Google Earth display effect, or model behavior.

Convert KMZ online

For a basic conversion without installing software, use the free KMZ-to-DWG converter on 101convert.com:

1. Upload the .kmz file.
2. Select DWG as the output format.
3. Start the conversion and download the resulting drawing.
4. Open the DWG in the CAD application that will edit it and check its coordinates, units, layers, and geometry.

This approach is most suitable for ordinary KML points, lines, and polygons. A converter may not reproduce COLLADA models, terrain, textures, image overlays, styles, or externally linked resources accurately. Do not use an unverified converted file as a survey or construction control document without checking it against known coordinates and dimensions.

Convert a 3D model with SketchUp Pro

1. Open SketchUp Pro and choose File → Import.
2. Select the KMZ file type and import the file. SketchUp can import compatible Google Earth models and associated texture images.
3. Check the model's orientation, scale, location, and visible components. Remove image overlays or Google Earth context that is not needed in the CAD drawing.
4. Choose File → Export → 3D Model and select DWG or DXF, if supported by the installed SketchUp Pro release.
5. Set the export units and compatible CAD version, then open the result in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, or another DWG application.

This workflow is intended for KMZ files containing a COLLADA-based building or other 3D object. The exported result may consist of faces or mesh entities rather than editable parametric solids. Texture paths, materials, and component behavior can also require manual repair.

Convert geographic features with CAD or GIS software

1. Open AutoCAD Map 3D or another CAD product with KML/KMZ import support, and assign the drawing's coordinate reference system before importing.
2. Use the product's KML/KMZ import command, commonly found under Insert → Import or the application's map import tools. Exact commands vary by product and release.
3. Choose the feature types to import, specify the source coordinate system when requested, and map features to destination layers.
4. Verify the imported position and scale, then use Save As to write the drawing as DWG.

If the installed CAD product cannot import KMZ, open the file in QGIS, verify its coordinate reference system, and export the vector layer to DXF. Open the DXF in a CAD application and save it as DWG. This route handles points, lines, and polygons; it does not convert a raster ground overlay into editable CAD geometry.

Quality and compatibility limits

KMZ and DWG store different kinds of information. KML is geographic and presentation-oriented, while DWG is CAD-oriented. A placemark may become a point or block, a KML path may become a polyline, and a polygon may become a closed polyline or hatch. Labels, tours, camera views, time ranges, styling, and Google Earth imagery usually require manual recreation.

Coordinate handling is the main source of incorrect results. KML normally uses WGS 84 longitude and latitude, whereas a CAD project commonly uses a projected coordinate system in metres or feet. Set the correct source and destination systems and transform the data before combining it with local CAD geometry. Importing longitude and latitude directly into a projected drawing can place the data far from the project and produce unusable distances. Confirm drawing units separately; coordinate reference systems and drawing units are related but not interchangeable settings.

Altitude may be absolute, relative to ground, or clamped to ground. A converter may flatten these values, ignore terrain, or place all features at elevation zero. KMZ textures can be lost or retained only as external material references, and support for meshes, 3D faces, solids, and materials varies by converter and CAD version.

Keep the original .kmz, extracted resources, source coordinate information, and conversion settings. Inspect the DWG in the exact CAD software that will edit or archive it, and verify at least one known coordinate and one known dimension before relying on the result.