Extract text from 3D CAD models (IGES)
To convert IGES 3D models to another format, you need SolidWorks or other 3D software.
To convert other file formats to the "CAD Exchange Format" file type, you need software like SolidWorks or a similar tool.
The .IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) file is a vendor-neutral 3D CAD data exchange format. It was designed to allow the transfer of 3D models between different computer-aided design systems. You can open these files using nearly any major CAD software, including AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and Shapr3D. You can read more about its history on Wikipedia.
The .IGES format is fundamentally outdated and poses several challenges for modern engineering. Originally published in 1980, it relies on surface modeling and wireframes rather than modern solid boundary representation (BREP). When you import an .IGES file into modern CAD software, it often results in "dumb surfaces" - unstitched faces that require tedious manual repair to form a watertight solid body. Furthermore, its uncompressed ASCII text structure makes .IGES files excessively large and slow to process.
You must convert .IGES files to adapt them for modern workflows. For modern CAD editing and manufacturing, convert to STEP, which preserves solid bodies and topological data. If you need to 3D print the geometry, convert to STL. For web display or rendering applications, convert to GLTF or OBJ.
Convert.Guru analyzes your IGES file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted IGS, 3D, STEP, STP, STL, SAT, F3D, SLDPRT, F3Z, MSH, PDF, PRT and DXF files.
If you want to convert IGES file to STEP, STL, OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, MAX, BLEND, MA, MB, C4D or PLY, you can use SolidWorks or similar software from the "3D CAD Data Exchange" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DWG, DAE, X3D, WRL, JT, SKP, 3DS, 3DM, OBJ, STEP, FBX or PLY files to IGES, try SolidWorks or another comparable tool in the "3D CAD Data Exchange" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our IGES converter.