The history of DWG file format
DWG is a binary file format used for storing two- and three- dimensional design data and meta data. It is the native format for several CAD packages including DraftSight, AutoCAD, IntelliCAD (and its variants) and Caddie.
Version history
| Version | Internal version | AutoCAD versions |
|---|---|---|
| DWG R1.0 | MC0.0 | AutoCAD Release 1.0 |
| DWG R1.2 | AC1.2 | AutoCAD Release 1.2 |
| DWG R1.40 | AC1.40 | AutoCAD Release 1.40 |
| DWG R2.05 | AC1.50 | AutoCAD Release 2.05 |
| DWG R2.10 | AC2.10 | AutoCAD Release 2.10 |
| DWG R2.21 | AC2.21 | AutoCAD Release 2.21 |
| DWG R2.22 | AC1001, AC2.22 | AutoCAD Release 2.22 |
| DWG R2.50 | AC1002 | AutoCAD Release 2.50 |
| DWG R2.60 | AC1003 | AutoCAD Release 2.60 |
| DWG R9 | AC1004 | AutoCAD Release 9 |
| DWG R10 | AC1006 | AutoCAD Release 10 |
| DWG R11/12 | AC1009 | AutoCAD Release 11, AutoCAD Release 12 |
| DWG R13 | AC1012 | AutoCAD Release 13 |
| DWG R14 | AC1014 | AutoCAD Release 14 |
| DWG 2000 | AC1015 | AutoCAD 2000, AutoCAD 2000i, AutoCAD 2002 |
| DWG 2004 | AC1018 | AutoCAD 2004, AutoCAD 2005, AutoCAD 2006 |
| DWG 2007 | AC1021 | AutoCAD 2007, AutoCAD 2008, AutoCAD 2009 |
| DWG 2010 | AC1024 | AutoCAD 2010, AutoCAD 2011, AutoCAD 2012 |
| DWG 2013 | AC1027 | AutoCAD 2013, AutoCAD 2014, AutoCAD 2015 |
In 2006, Autodesk applied for registration of US trademarks on “DWG”, “DWG EXTREME”, “DWG TRUECONVERT”, “REALDWG”, “DWGX”, “DWG TRUEVIEW”. As early as 1996, Autodesk has disclaimed exclusive use of the DWG mark in US trademark filings. Out of these applications, only TRUSTEDDWG has been registered as a trademark by the USPTO.
In June, 2011 the USPTO issued a final refusal to register DWG as a trademark owned by Autodesk.