CLI Reference

ezdwg provides a command-line interface for inspecting, plotting, converting, and writing DWG files.

Version

ezdwg --version

Inspect

Show information about a DWG file:

ezdwg inspect path/to/file.dwg

Output includes:

• File path
• DWG version (e.g. AC1015)
• Decode version
• Total entity count
• Per-type entity counts

Verbose Mode

Show expanded diagnostics:

ezdwg inspect path/to/file.dwg --verbose

Verbose mode shows additional details for diagnostic entity types and expands the number of unknown handle/type-code entries reported.

Example Output

file: examples/data/line_2000.dwg
version: AC1015
decode_version: AC1015
total_entities: 3
LINE: 3

Plot

Display model-space entities (requires ezdwg[plot]):

ezdwg plot path/to/file.dwg

The command opens a matplotlib window when an interactive backend is available. Otherwise (for example, if Tk/Qt is unavailable or MPLBACKEND=Agg is set), it saves an SVG preview in the OS temporary directory and opens it in your browser. The printed preview: URL can also be opened manually. The preview remains after the command exits; it can be deleted when no longer needed. If no browser can be started, the command reports the preview URL and exits with code 2.

The preview uses a 12×8-inch canvas with coordinate axes hidden, thin geometry strokes, and thinner gray dimensions. Bright colors are adapted for the white background. Small crosses indicate block-reference positions whose geometry is not yet expanded; they are not circular features in the DWG.

Save without opening a viewer, including on machines without a display:

ezdwg plot path/to/file.dwg -o drawing.png
ezdwg plot path/to/file.dwg -o drawing.svg --types "LINE ARC"
ezdwg plot path/to/file.dwg -o drawing.pdf --title "My drawing"

The output extension selects the format using matplotlib's supported formats. Existing output files are overwritten. Rendering uses the same entity coverage and behavior as ezdwg.plot().

Options

Option	Description
-o, --output	Save to a file instead of opening a window or browser
--types	Entity filter (e.g. "LINE ARC LWPOLYLINE")
--dpi	Saved image resolution, a positive integer (default: 150)
--title	Drawing title

In a local checkout, install the plotting extra and run with uv:

uv run --extra plot ezdwg plot examples/data/line_2000.dwg
uv run --extra plot ezdwg plot examples/data/line_2000.dwg -o drawing.png --dpi 200

Convert

Convert a DWG file to DXF:

ezdwg convert input.dwg output.dxf

Options

Option	Description
--types	Entity filter (e.g. "LINE ARC LWPOLYLINE")
--dxf-version	Output DXF version (default: R2010)
--strict	Fail if any entity cannot be converted
--include-unsupported	Also query unsupported entity types

Examples

# Convert with type filter
ezdwg convert input.dwg output.dxf --types "ARC LINE"

# Specify DXF version
ezdwg convert input.dwg output.dxf --dxf-version R2018

# Strict mode
ezdwg convert input.dwg output.dxf --strict

Example Output

input: input.dwg
output: output.dxf
total_entities: 15
written_entities: 12
skipped_entities: 3
skipped[VIEWPORT]: 3

Write

Write a DWG file using the native AC1015 writer:

ezdwg write input.dwg output.dwg

Options

Option	Description
--types	Entity filter (e.g. "LINE ARC LWPOLYLINE")
--dwg-version	Output DWG version (default: AC1015, currently only supported value)
--strict	Fail if any entity cannot be written

Examples

# Write only selected entity types
ezdwg write input.dwg output.dwg --types "LINE MTEXT"

# Explicit target version
ezdwg write input.dwg output.dwg --dwg-version AC1015

# Strict mode
ezdwg write input.dwg output.dwg --strict

Example Output

input: input.dwg
output: output.dwg
target_version: AC1015
total_entities: 8
written_entities: 7
skipped_entities: 1
skipped[POINT]: 1