& Construction

Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
& Manufacturing

Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Integrated BIM tools, including Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D
Professional CAD/CAM tools built on Inventor and AutoCAD
Import a 2D AutoCAD DWG file and start to set up it for a 3D conversion.
Type:
Tutorial
Length:
4 min.
Tutorial resources
These downloadable resources will be used to complete this tutorial:
Transcript
00:03
In this tutorial, you import a 2D AutoCAD DWG file and start to set it up for a 3D conversion.
00:10
In Inventor, from the Quick Access Toolbar, click New.
00:14
In the Create New File dialog, navigate to the Templates > Metric folder, select Standard(mm).ipt, and then click Create.
00:26
From the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save and name your part file 300730-001.
00:38
You can now import the 2D AutoCAD information.
00:42
On the ribbon, 3D Model tab, Create panel, click Import.
00:47
Navigate to where you saved the project files and select 300730-001.dwg.
00:56
Click Open.
00:59
Select the XY plane to place the drawing, and then select the default origin point.
01:06
In the popup, click OK.
01:09
Notice that the corner of the drawing is at the origin of the part file.
01:14
Ideally, you want to have the origin of the part file at the center of the upper pivot point.
01:20
In the Model browser, right-click the DWG file and select Translate.
01:26
On the menu toolbar, select Locate for the origin, and then select the large circle in the DWG drawing.
01:34
Click the green checkmark to complete the translate operation.
01:38
The AutoCAD DWG drawing file is now oriented properly, and you can continue your design of the 3D part.
01:45
Next, you can create a new 2D sketch on the XY Plane and project some geometry into it from the AutoCAD DWG file.
01:55
From the Model browser, in the Origin folder, click the XY Plane, then right-click and choose Create New Sketch.
02:02
On the ribbon, Sketch tab, Create panel, expand the Project drop-down and select Project DWG Geometry.
02:11
Select all the segments that make up the model profile.
02:16
With Project DWG Geometry still active, select the two vertical lines that create the width in the right-side view.
02:24
Close the Project DWG Geometry command.
02:28
You can set a dimension for two line segments.
02:32
Right-click the model, and from the Marking menu, select General Dimension.
02:37
Select the two projected line segments and drag to place the dimension.
02:42
In the popup, click Accept to place a driven dimension.
02:46
Notice that there is now a 12-millimeter driven dimension that you can use to create an extrusion.
02:53
From the Sketch menu, click Finish.
02:56
If you want to clean up the AutoCAD DWG file, you can change the layer visibilities.
03:01
In the Model browser, right-click the DWG and select Layer Visibility.
03:07
In the Layer Visibility dialog, disable the layers you do not want to display in this file, and then click OK.
03:15
From the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save and save this file as 300730-001.ipt.
Video transcript
00:03
In this tutorial, you import a 2D AutoCAD DWG file and start to set it up for a 3D conversion.
00:10
In Inventor, from the Quick Access Toolbar, click New.
00:14
In the Create New File dialog, navigate to the Templates > Metric folder, select Standard(mm).ipt, and then click Create.
00:26
From the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save and name your part file 300730-001.
00:38
You can now import the 2D AutoCAD information.
00:42
On the ribbon, 3D Model tab, Create panel, click Import.
00:47
Navigate to where you saved the project files and select 300730-001.dwg.
00:56
Click Open.
00:59
Select the XY plane to place the drawing, and then select the default origin point.
01:06
In the popup, click OK.
01:09
Notice that the corner of the drawing is at the origin of the part file.
01:14
Ideally, you want to have the origin of the part file at the center of the upper pivot point.
01:20
In the Model browser, right-click the DWG file and select Translate.
01:26
On the menu toolbar, select Locate for the origin, and then select the large circle in the DWG drawing.
01:34
Click the green checkmark to complete the translate operation.
01:38
The AutoCAD DWG drawing file is now oriented properly, and you can continue your design of the 3D part.
01:45
Next, you can create a new 2D sketch on the XY Plane and project some geometry into it from the AutoCAD DWG file.
01:55
From the Model browser, in the Origin folder, click the XY Plane, then right-click and choose Create New Sketch.
02:02
On the ribbon, Sketch tab, Create panel, expand the Project drop-down and select Project DWG Geometry.
02:11
Select all the segments that make up the model profile.
02:16
With Project DWG Geometry still active, select the two vertical lines that create the width in the right-side view.
02:24
Close the Project DWG Geometry command.
02:28
You can set a dimension for two line segments.
02:32
Right-click the model, and from the Marking menu, select General Dimension.
02:37
Select the two projected line segments and drag to place the dimension.
02:42
In the popup, click Accept to place a driven dimension.
02:46
Notice that there is now a 12-millimeter driven dimension that you can use to create an extrusion.
02:53
From the Sketch menu, click Finish.
02:56
If you want to clean up the AutoCAD DWG file, you can change the layer visibilities.
03:01
In the Model browser, right-click the DWG and select Layer Visibility.
03:07
In the Layer Visibility dialog, disable the layers you do not want to display in this file, and then click OK.
03:15
From the Quick Access Toolbar, click Save and save this file as 300730-001.ipt.
How to buy
Privacy | Do not sell or share my personal information | Cookie preferences | Report noncompliance | Terms of use | Legal | © 2025 Autodesk Inc. All rights reserved
Sign in for the best experience
Save your progress
Get access to courses
Receive personalized recommendations
May we collect and use your data?
Learn more about the Third Party Services we use and our Privacy Statement.May we collect and use your data to tailor your experience?
Explore the benefits of a customized experience by managing your privacy settings for this site or visit our Privacy Statement to learn more about your options.