DWG workmode is a working environment within MicroStation PowerDraft specifically adapted to the editing and reviewing of DWG files. MicroStation PowerDraft natively reads and writes both the MicroStation PowerDraft DGN file format and the DWG file format thus enabling less data loss from sharing. You can also directly reference a DWG file from a MicroStation PowerDraft DGN file.

When you open a DWG file, various MicroStation PowerDraft tools are restricted to ensure compatibility with the DWG format. When you are required to create DGN files that are DWG compatible, you can turn on DWG workmode . In both cases MicroStation PowerDraft restricts its tools to create only elements that are compatible with the DWG format.

The main purpose of the DWG workmode is to ensure that no DWG-incompatible features are added to the DWG file while editing it in MicroStation PowerDraft. This is done by restraining access to certain tools and features of MicroStation PowerDraft that remain unsupported in AutoCAD.