IGES files: what are they and how do I open them?
Are you facing difficulties opening unknown files on your computer, or wondering exactly what this file is?
We've got the information and best software solutions for opening these files effortlessly.
IGES 3D exchange format
Files with igs extension can be typically found as 3D graphics data saved in International Graphics Exchange Standard (IGES) format used for data exchange.
Further details:
The iges file extension is commonly used for files in International Graphics Exchange Standard (IGES), an ANSI-approved standard format used with 3D wire frame models originally created in 1979.
One must be very careful when sourcing CAD files from all of today's modern CAD packages, as most/many of them export the long-obsolete "Surfaces NURBS" variation (few people know these differences). There are 3 primary versions of IGES: the 1980's "Bounded Surfaces", the 1990s "Surfaced NURBS" and the 2000's modern "BREP Manifold Solids". One should only export an IGES file in the latter "BREP Manifold Solids" version of IGES. If you try to convert via "Surfaced NURBS" (which has no BREP topology) then the model will be exploded into thounsads of individual NURBS patches, leading to patch cracking, flipped or randomly oriented surfaces, inverted vertex normals (for smoothing) and black banding effects. People on forums often complain that IGES is not a good CAD conversion file format but that is only because they are using the wrong version and/or poor 3D IGES importers. Note: IGES files are limited to a file size of 2GB due to their limited internal numeric range.
The igs file contains IGES 2S or 3D CAD model.
MIME types:
application/iges
model/iges
Open file with:
AutoCAD
Leading 2D and 3D CAD development software from Autodesk
SolidWorks
A 2D and 3D CAD construction software