Working with CAD data in ArcGIS
Visualizing CAD data in ArcGIS
ArcGIS can display CAD files directly without conversion and will symbolize CAD features similar to how they appear in the original CAD drawing. In ArcMap, the Layer Properties dialog provides access to the CAD drawing’s layer properties and other attribute information associated with the CAD objects. Through this dialog you can customize how a CAD dataset integrates with your GIS maps.
Tools for converting CAD data to a Geodatabase
Importing CAD data into a geodatabase enables you put your valuable CAD source data to work in ArcGIS. There are several tools that support CAD to Geodatabase conversions. The most commonly used geoprocessing tools include:
The ArcGIS Desktop help provides good overviews for working with CAD data in ArcGIS.