Krakt Plotz: DWG to PDF & DXF, in bulk, for a cent a file

Got a folder of DWGs and no AutoCAD seat? Drop in the links, hit Start, grab your PDFs and DXFs. About $0.01 per file.

• Batch it: 1 file or 1,000. Paste URLs, upload a file, or point at key-value store records.
• PDF, DXF or both: print-ready PDFs (A4 to A0, Letter, Tabloid, ARCH-D or fit-to-drawing) plus a DXF any CAD tool opens.
• R13 to 2018+: AutoCAD R13, R14, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2018+ files.
• No AutoCAD, no ODA: runs on open-source LibreDWG and ezdxf.
• Honest output: every file reports its DWG version, entity and layer counts, anything we skipped, and a clear error if it failed. You're only charged for files that convert.

What gets drawn

Lines, polylines, arcs, circles, ellipses, text and layers render well. Hatches and blocks usually come through too. Complex stuff may be skipped: 3D solids, regions, tolerances, proxy/custom objects and some dimension styles. The skippedEntityTypes field tells you exactly what was left out. If the model space is empty, Plotz plots the first paper-space layout instead (viewport contents aren't drawn).

Quick start

{
  "dwgUrls": ["https://example.com/plans/ground-floor.dwg", "https://example.com/plans/roof.dwg"],
  "outputFormat": "both",
  "pageSize": "A3"
}

Field	Default	What it does
dwgUrls	–	Direct links to .dwg files
dwgUpload	–	Upload one file straight from the Console
kvStoreRecords	–	storeId/key (or key for this run's store)
outputFormat	both	pdf, dxf or both
pageSize	A3	fit, A4–A0, letter, tabloid, ARCH-D
orientation	auto	auto, landscape, portrait
keepColors	false	Off = black-ink plot. On = CAD colors on white
darkBackground	false	CAD-screen look: black background, true colors
maxFiles / maxFileSizeMb	100 / 50	Safety caps

Output

One dataset row per DWG:

{
  "source": "https://example.com/plans/ground-floor.dwg",
  "fileName": "ground-floor.dwg",
  "status": "converted",
  "dwgVersion": "R2018+",
  "pdfUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/<id>/records/001-ground-floor.pdf",
  "dxfUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/<id>/records/001-ground-floor.dxf",
  "entities": 896, "layers": 24,
  "skippedEntityTypes": [], "warnings": [], "error": null
}

The files themselves sit in the run's key-value store. Failed files get status: "failed" and an error message, and they're free.

Pricing

$0.01 per converted file (event file-converted), whether you ask for PDF, DXF or both. Failed files cost nothing. A run with no files given converts one sample drawing for free (demo: true) so you can see the output. Set a max cost per run and Plotz stops cleanly when it's reached.

Good to know

• Fidelity isn't AutoCAD's. For contract-grade plots, use the software that made the file.
• Fonts are swapped for open fonts (DejaVu/Liberation), so text spacing can shift a little.
• Not tested with password-protected or corrupt DWGs; those fail with an error.
• The DXF comes straight out of LibreDWG's dwg2dxf, and the PDF is a vector plot of model space.
• Not affiliated with Autodesk. DWG is a trademark of Autodesk, Inc.