Explainer · open dwg in revit
Opening DWG files in Revit
By Sumana Kumar · Published 18 Jan 2023 · Updated 11 Jul 2025
Revit is a BIM program, not a CAD drafting program, so it never 'opens' a DWG as an editable drawing the way AutoCAD does. Instead, Revit brings a DWG in as a 2D reference — linked or imported — that you trace over with real Revit elements: walls, doors, floors and so on. The DWG becomes a scaffold for the model, not part of the model itself. Understanding that one idea prevents most of the trouble people have with CAD in Revit.
This guide explains the crucial choice between linking and importing, how to bring a DWG in at the right scale and position, and the cardinal rule of never exploding CAD geometry inside a Revit project. The 2D plan and elevation blocks on this site work well as underlays because they are drawn cleanly at true millimetre scale.
The workflow in a sentence: link the DWG into the right view at true units, lock it, trace native Revit elements over it, then hide or unload it once the model stands on its own.
Link CAD vs Import CAD: choose link
Revit gives you two tools on the Insert ribbon: Link CAD and Import CAD. They look similar but behave very differently. Link CAD keeps the DWG as an external reference — the geometry stays in the original file, Revit just shows it, and if the DWG updates you can reload it. Import CAD copies the geometry into the Revit project permanently.
The strong recommendation, and standard BIM practice, is to use Link CAD. Linking keeps your Revit file lighter, keeps the CAD data separate and updatable, and is easy to remove cleanly when you are done. Import CAD bakes foreign geometry into your project, which bloats the file and is harder to manage later. Reach for Import only when you have a specific reason to embed.
Bringing the DWG in at the right scale
When you run Link CAD (or Import CAD), the dialog asks for import units. Set this to match what the DWG was drawn in — millimetres for the blocks here — so the geometry comes in at true size. Getting units wrong here produces the familiar 'plan the size of a country' or 'invisible speck' result.
Also choose the positioning carefully: 'Auto - Origin to Origin' aligns the DWG origin to the Revit project origin, which is usually what you want for a coordinated drawing. Place the link in the correct view — a floor plan view for a plan DWG, an elevation view for an elevation block — and on the right level, so it sits where the model expects it.
Never explode CAD inside Revit
Here is the rule that saves Revit projects: do not explode an imported DWG. Exploding turns the CAD geometry into Revit lines, text and tiny imported line styles that clutter your project, multiply your line-style list, and can quietly degrade performance across the whole model. It is one of the most common ways a Revit file becomes slow and messy.
Instead, leave the DWG as a clean linked reference and trace over it with proper Revit elements. If you linked it (rather than imported), you cannot explode it anyway — another reason linking is the safer default. Treat the CAD as a picture to draw on, never as geometry to absorb.
Tracing the underlay into BIM
With the DWG linked into a plan view, lock it in place (select it, then Pin) so you don't nudge it while working. Now draw real Revit walls along the CAD wall lines, place doors and windows where the CAD openings are, and add floors and rooms to match. Snapping helps: Revit will snap to the linked CAD lines, so your native elements land exactly on the reference.
This is the whole point of bringing DWG into Revit — you get an accurate, dimensioned base to build intelligent BIM elements on, without redrawing a plan from scratch. A door or window block in the underlay gives you exact opening positions for the real Revit families that replace them.
Hiding or removing the link when done
Once your Revit model carries the information itself, the CAD underlay has served its purpose. You can hide the linked CAD in a view (right-click > Hide in View, or via Visibility/Graphics) so it stops cluttering your drawings, while keeping the link available in case you need to re-check against it.
When the project is fully modelled and the CAD is no longer needed, unload or remove the link entirely through Manage Links. Because you linked rather than imported, removal is clean — nothing of the DWG is baked into your project. This tidy lifecycle, link then trace then remove, is exactly why the link-and-trace method is the professional standard.
Using DWG blocks as detail components and families
Beyond whole plans, individual DWG blocks have a place in Revit too. You can link a 2D DWG detail into a Revit drafting view or a detail family to provide content Revit doesn't ship — a specific symbol, a manufacturer detail, a standard component. This is a legitimate way to reuse a downloaded block inside Revit without redrawing it.
Keep the same discipline: link rather than import where you can, set the units, and don't explode. For 2D symbols and details the blocks here are well suited, since they are clean, scaled and licence-clear. For 3D content Revit prefers native families, so a DWG is best treated as a 2D reference rather than a substitute for a real Revit family.
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Questions
Frequently asked
Should I link or import a DWG in Revit?+
Link it. Link CAD keeps the DWG as a lightweight external reference you can reload or remove cleanly, while Import CAD bakes the geometry permanently into your project and bloats the file. Linking is standard BIM practice and the safer default.
Why shouldn't I explode CAD in Revit?+
Exploding an imported DWG turns it into thousands of Revit lines and imported line styles that clutter your project and can slow the whole model down. Leave the CAD as a clean reference and trace native Revit elements over it instead.
Why did my DWG come into Revit at the wrong scale?+
It is a units mismatch in the Link/Import dialog. Set the import units to match what the DWG was drawn in — millimetres for the blocks here — and use 'Auto - Origin to Origin' positioning so it lands at true size and the correct location.
Can I use a single DWG block, not a whole plan, in Revit?+
Yes. You can link a 2D DWG block into a drafting view or detail family to reuse a symbol or detail Revit doesn't provide. Keep it as a linked 2D reference rather than exploding it, and use native families for any 3D content.
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