Translate DWG drawings without losing CAD context
Tongwen turns text scattered across DWG objects into reviewable, traceable translation units. Apply terminology constraints, review each result in drawing context, and write approved content back through controlled CAD strategies.
- Windows x64
- AutoCAD 2019–2026 build targets
- Local-first project data
Full drawing or window extraction
Bring DWG text objects into a structured review workspace.
Terminology-aware translation
Use glossary, translation memory, and correction memory before model fallback.
Three controlled write-back modes
Isolated layer, in-place, or bilingual append for different delivery needs.
Recoverable local sessions
Keep drawing context, extraction batches, and review state in a .tw session.
Drawing translation is more than replacing words
The difficult part is preserving object identity, technical meaning, layout context, and a safe path back into CAD. Tongwen keeps those concerns visible instead of hiding them behind a generic text box.
Context is fragmented
Notes, attributes, and labels live across layers, blocks, layouts, and drawing regions.
Terminology can drift
A single technical term translated differently can create procurement and construction ambiguity.
Longer text changes layout
Translated content may wrap, overlap, or exceed the space available in the original drawing.
Direct replacement is risky
Uncontrolled write-back can damage source objects and leave failures difficult to recover.
From drawing objects to controlled delivery
Each stage keeps the object handle, layer, location, style context, and review state connected to the translated content.
- 01
Extract drawing objects
Extract DBText, MText, and block attributes from the full drawing or a selected window.
- 02
Constrain the first draft
Apply do-not-translate rules, glossary terms, and reusable translation knowledge.
- 03
Review in CAD context
Filter by batch or status, edit inline, inspect QA details, and locate the source entity.
- 04
Write back with safeguards
Choose a controlled write-back strategy, preserve the source, and report per-entity failures.
A translation workspace designed around the drawing
Tongwen combines the immediacy of an AutoCAD plug-in with a structured workspace for terminology, review, QA context, and project recovery.
Start from the drawing you are already working on
Associate the current DWG with a project, extract a full drawing or a window, track extraction batches, and open the non-modal workspace without leaving AutoCAD.
- Saved-DWG safety gate
- Full drawing and window extraction
- Incremental batch merge
Keep professional language consistent
Attach CSV glossaries to a drawing, protect non-translatable content, and reuse translation and correction memory before requesting a model-generated draft.
- Drawing-level glossary selection
- Do-not-translate rules
- Traceable translation source
Bring every translation back to its CAD object
Review source and target text side by side, filter the active scope, inspect object and QA context, edit inline, and zoom to the entity by handle and bounding box.
- Batch and status filtering
- Inline editing and optional approval
- Entity locate and detail drawer
Choose how translated content returns to CAD
Use an isolated target layer by default, or select in-place and bilingual strategies when the delivery requires them. Backup and transaction safeguards protect the source path.
- Isolated layer by default
- In-place with backup
- Bilingual append and actionable failures
Protect the drawing before optimizing the translation
Model output is never treated as an arbitrary CAD command. Translation content passes through format protection, validation, strategy selection, and host transactions before it reaches the drawing.
Source-object protection
The default isolated-layer mode keeps source text objects unchanged.
Engineering context retained
Keep handle, layer, coordinates, style, alignment, and protected placeholders traceable.
Recoverable work state
Projects and .tw sessions preserve extraction, translation, and review progress locally.
Actionable failure reporting
A failed entity retains its source object and reports the handle and reason for recovery.
Designed for engineering delivery workflows
Use Tongwen where drawing structure and technical language matter as much as the translated sentence itself.
Multinational project delivery
Prepare target-language drawing sets while keeping source geometry and object context traceable.
Shop drawing localization
Process repeated notes, labels, and block attributes with reusable project terminology.
Design and translation review
Let language reviewers work in a table while CAD engineers retain object-level drawing context.
A plug-in package for each AutoCAD runtime generation
Tongwen maintains three plug-in targets that produce version-specific output directories for AutoCAD 2019 through 2026.
- Windows x64
- A licensed AutoCAD host
- Provider credentials for online translation engines
A successful build is not the same as full host certification. Check each GitHub Release for the currently qualified AutoCAD versions and installation notes.
Frequently asked questions
Practical details about drawing safety, supported content, connectivity, and terminology.
The default isolated-layer strategy keeps source objects unchanged. In-place write-back is a separate strategy and requires backup and controlled transaction handling.
The current extraction baseline focuses on DBText, MText, and AttributeReference objects. Other object types should not be assumed to be production-supported unless a Release explicitly says so.
The repository produces build targets for AutoCAD 2019–2026 across three runtime generations. The qualified public support matrix is stated in each Release.
DWG extraction and project data are local-first. Network use depends on the configured translation provider; online providers receive the text required for the translation request.
Yes. Tongwen supports CSV glossary management and drawing-level glossary selection, together with translation and correction memory in the current translation pipeline.
Reviewers can edit the translation in context and choose a suitable write-back strategy. More complete automatic layout-risk gating is still being qualified, so it is not presented as a finished feature here.
Make translation part of the CAD delivery workflow
Download the latest public build, review the version notes, and test Tongwen with a non-sensitive sample DWG before production use.
The release page is the source for installers, checksums, known limitations, and qualified host versions.