.IGS File Extension

An IGS file is a graphics file saved in a 2D/3D vector format based on the Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES), a standard ASCII text-based format. It stores wireframe models, surface or solid object representations, circuit diagrams, and other objects. Many CAD applications save and export vector data as IGS files.

You can open IGS files with various desktop CAD programs, such as Autodesk Fusion 360 (Windows), Dassault Systemes CATIA (multiplatform), Nemetschek VectorWorks (multiplatform), and CADEX CAD Exchanger (macOS). You can also open and view IGS files with online viewers by uploading them to CADEX CAD Exchanger Cloud or ShareCAD.org.

Since IGS files store plain text information, you can open them with a text editor (you may need to change the .igs file extension to .txt). However, when viewing the files with a text editor, the contents will appear as text instead of a visual representation of a model, like when you view them with CAD software. You can use text editors, such as Microsoft Wordpad (bundled with Windows) or Apple TextEdit (bundled with macOS), to view the plain text in IGS files.

Various CAD applications, including CADEX CAD Exchanger, Autodesk Fusion 360, and Dassault Systemes CATIA, can convert IGS files to other formats.

For example, CAD Exchanger can convert IGS files to the following formats:

• .STP, .STEP - STEP 3D Model
• .SAT - ACIS SAT 3D Model
• .STL - Stereolithography File
• .BREP - BRep 3D Model
• .JT - JT Open CAD File

3D scene used by Indigo Renderer, an application used for generating photorealistic images; often saved as an export from another 3D modeling package that has the Indigo Renderer plug-in, including Blender, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Maya, SketchUp, or Revit.

Once a 3D scene has been imported into Indigo Renderer, it can be rendered into a final image. The software supports GPU acceleration so that images can be generated more quickly.