Handles complex geometry (arcs, splines, 3D faces), preserves attributes, supports coordinate system transformation. Cons: Expensive ($2,500+ per license).

ogr2ogr -f "GML" output.gml input.dwg

Unlike binary DWG files, XML files are text-based, meaning they can be managed with standard version control systems like Git. Teams can track changes, review diffs, and merge contributions from multiple designers more effectively.

# Extract layers layers_elem = ET.SubElement(root, "Layers") for layer in doc.layers: layer_elem = ET.SubElement(layers_elem, "Layer", name=layer.dxf.name) layer_elem.set("color", str(layer.dxf.color))

The conversion, while technically demanding, serves several critical practical purposes: