Are AutoCAD .dwg entities accessible using arcpy?

nstewart — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 23:15:43 GMT

I have a process that imports AutoCAD dwg files into a geodatabase, using arcpy.conversion.ExportFeatures. The issue stems from blocks within the dwg. The process imports the blocks into geodatabase as expected. But, in the source dwg, the entities comprising a block can have different attributes (e.g., Layer) than the block itself. The maintainers of the dwg files have focused their work on the attributes of the entities, not the blocks. Thus, they would prefer to see the entity attributes in the output geodatabase. It would be acceptable if the entities could be imported as singlepart features, instead of multipart (like blocks).

I am wondering if the entities are accessible in any way from within arcpy or ArcGIS Pro. I have also tried arcpy.conversion.CADToGeodatabase, but the output behaves similarly to ExportFeatures.

There are some commands on the AutoCAD side that may help tackle the problem (XPLODE, BURST, etc.). But I am not familiar with AutoCAD, and my organization would prefer to implement the entire process within the Esri universe. So, I am curious if there are any possibilities. Thanks for any ideas!

Re: Are AutoCAD .dwg entities accessible using arcpy?

nstewart — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 17:37:29 GMT

Esri Tech Support pointed me to arcpy.interop.QuickImport. The "Data Interoperability" license is needed, but we have one available. This is the combination of parameters that delivered what I was seeking:

Group by Geometry
Check: Explode Blocks into Entities
Uncheck: Use Block Feature Type for Components

topic Are AutoCAD .dwg entities accessible using arcpy? in ArcGIS Pro Questions

Are AutoCAD .dwg entities accessible using arcpy?

Re: Are AutoCAD .dwg entities accessible using arcpy?