What is KMZ?
KMZ is a ZIP archive that packages a KML document (conventionally named doc.kml) together with any assets it references, such as icons, images, and overlays.
Structurally a KMZ is just a compressed container: unzip it and you get a main KML document plus an optional folder of supporting files. Zipping typically shrinks verbose KML text substantially and keeps a placemark set and its custom icons together as one shareable file, which is why Google Earth exports KMZ by default. Everything true of KML applies to the KML inside a KMZ; the wrapper only adds compression and asset bundling.
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 on named layers and is a common interchange format for survey drawings, site plans, and engineering geometry. GeoConvert safely imports ASCII DXF points, lines, polylines, arcs, circles, SOLID/3DFACE entities, and straight-edged HATCH boundaries; arcs, circles, and bulges are linearized with a warning. TEXT/MTEXT, INSERT or block-contained geometry, RAY/XLINE, ELLIPSE/SPLINE, and unknown or incomplete entities are rejected instead of being silently dropped. DXF has no GIS attribute table, so geometry and layer names come across but arbitrary feature attributes do not; AutoCAD Binary DXF is not supported by the browser engine.
Why convert KMZ to DXF?
A KMZ received from a colleague can be turned into CAD entities for design or drafting, without needing Google Earth on the CAD workstation.
Coordinate systems
Because the payload is ordinary KML, a KMZ is inherently WGS84 (EPSG:4326) longitude/latitude/altitude, with no projection metadata and no possibility of reprojection inside the format.
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.
What to watch out for
- The KMZ is unzipped to its KML, which is WGS84 — reproject to a projected CRS before export so the DXF has usable units.
- Attributes and styling are not carried into DXF; only geometry and layers.
- Polygon placemarks become real DXF HATCH entities with boundary loops, preserving holes. MultiGeometry results (Multi* or GeometryCollection), empty or invalid geometry, standalone LinearRing, Model, gx:Track, and gx:MultiTrack are rejected.
How to convert KMZ to DXF
- Drag your KMZ file (.kmz) into the converter above, or click to browse.
- Confirm the source is KMZ and choose DXF as the output format.
- Optionally pick a target coordinate system (EPSG) to reproject.
- Click Convert and download your DXF file. Everything runs in your browser.
Example: turn a Google Earth site outline into a CAD base drawing
A designer receives a KMZ showing a proposed site boundary and access lines. To align the geometry with a local drawing, the export needs the project’s verified projected coordinate system rather than raw WGS84 degrees.
- Identify the project CRS from the survey, design brief, or an existing CAD/GIS layer; choose the matching projected EPSG code, such as the correct UTM zone or local grid.
- Upload the KMZ, select that target CRS, and convert. The KML geometry is reprojected before it is written as DXF entities and layers.
- Open the DXF beside a known control point or basemap in CAD. If it does not align, stop and verify the selected CRS instead of scaling or moving the drawing by eye.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a KMZ different from a KML here?
- Only in packaging — the KMZ is unzipped to its main KML document first, then converted identically.
- Can I convert KMZ directly to DWG?
- GeoConvert outputs DXF, the open CAD exchange format. Open that DXF in AutoCAD or another CAD application and use Save As when you specifically need a DWG file.
- How do I keep the chosen coordinate system with the DXF?
- DXF does not reliably store a GIS CRS. Record the EPSG code in the project notes, drawing documentation, or a separate GIS layer, and use a known control point to verify the imported drawing aligns correctly.
Format standards and references
These primary sources document the file formats. GeoConvert supports the conversion features and limits described above.