Converting DXF to KML lets you view CAD drawings in Google Earth.
What is DXF?
DXF (Drawing Exchange Format) is an open CAD data format created by Autodesk for exchanging drawings between AutoCAD and other CAD applications.
DXF stores CAD entities — points, lines, polylines, arcs, circles, text and blocks — organized on named layers. Unlike GIS formats it has no attribute table, so geometry and layer names come across but arbitrary feature attributes do not. It is the common interchange format for survey drawings, site plans, and engineering geometry moving between CAD tools such as AutoCAD, and into GIS via GDAL. GeoConvert reads and writes DXF entirely in your browser.
What is KML?
KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is an XML-based format for expressing geographic annotation and visualization, adopted as an OGC standard and popularized by Google Earth.
KML describes Placemarks, geometries (points, lines, polygons), and their presentation using an XML tree that also supports folders for organization, rich styling (icons, colors, line widths, fills), balloon descriptions, and ground overlays. It is designed for display and sharing rather than analysis, and is opened natively by Google Earth, Google Maps, and most GIS packages. Because it targets a single global view, it has no concept of reprojection.
Why convert DXF to KML?
KML places geometry on the globe in Google Earth, so this is a quick way to visualize a site plan or survey in real-world context and share it with non-CAD stakeholders.
Coordinate systems
DXF is a CAD format and carries no coordinate reference system — coordinates are plain model units. When converting to or from GIS formats you often need to know (or assign) the drawing’s real-world CRS; GeoConvert assumes WGS84 (EPSG:4326) only if you ask to reproject.
KML coordinates are always geographic WGS84 longitude, latitude, and (optionally) altitude in that order; the format has no CRS or projection field, so any data written to KML is expressed in EPSG:4326 by definition.
What to watch out for
- KML is always WGS84 lon/lat, but DXF has no CRS — you must know the drawing’s real-world coordinate system, or the geometry will appear in the wrong place.
- CAD attributes are not carried; only geometry and layer names come across.
- Curved entities are approximated as vertices, and CAD text/blocks may be dropped.
How to convert DXF to KML
- Drag your DXF file (.dxf) into the converter above, or click to browse.
- Confirm the source is DXF and choose KML as the output format.
- Optionally pick a target coordinate system (EPSG) to reproject.
- Click Convert and download your KML file. Everything runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
- My drawing shows up in the ocean near (0,0) — why?
- The DXF had no CRS and its model units aren’t lon/lat. Reproject from the drawing’s real coordinate system so it lands correctly.
- Does styling transfer?
- CAD layer colors don’t map to KML styles automatically; expect basic geometry only.