Preserved
- Relative placement of detected surfaces and parts is retained in the mesh vertices.
Legacy CAD surfaces for polygon-based tools
IGES / IGS to OBJ Converter Online
Convert supported IGES or IGS surface models to OBJ for mesh editing and visualization. Choose triangle density for trimmed and curved surfaces, inspect detected parts and verify the exported mesh. Exact surface equations, drawing data and CAD precision remain in the original file.
Drop IGES or IGS file here
or browse your computer
Max 100 MB · processed locally
Your model stays on this device. Parsing, conversion, verification, and download preparation run locally in this browser.
What the conversion keeps and removes
Converted
- Surface and solid faces become triangle meshes at Draft, Balanced or Fine quality.
- Detected parts become named OBJ objects or individual files. CAD grouping and subfigure relationships are flattened.
- The CAD engine normalizes source units to millimeters. Match your chosen output unit in the OBJ importer.
- Confirm the guessed source up axis before choosing the OBJ orientation.
- CAD surface orientation becomes OBJ mesh normals.
Lost
- Exact CAD topology is lost. Separate surface patches are not automatically stitched into a solid.
- CAD display colors are lost.
- Material and presentation properties are lost; no MTL file is generated.
- Views, drawing cameras and lighting information are omitted.
- Exact curves, NURBS definitions and CAD precision are lost; Fine quality remains an approximation.
- Dimensions, annotations, drafting data, tolerances and manufacturing metadata are lost.
Unsupported input
- Texture UVs are not reconstructed from IGES surface parameters.
- Textures are not reconstructed. External-reference entities require a self-contained export.
- Skins, rigs, morph targets and animation cannot be reconstructed.
- Supports and print settings must be configured separately.
Can IGES surfaces be opened as OBJ geometry?
Yes. The local CAD engine tessellates supported IGES surface and solid faces, then writes the resulting triangle geometry and normals into OBJ. IGES and IGS are alternate filename extensions accepted here. Curves, wireframes and drawings alone do not provide surface faces. The result is a mesh approximation for polygon software, so retain IGES for any engineering work that requires exact NURBS or analytic surfaces.
- IGES and IGS input
- Browser CAD tessellation
- Draft, Balanced or Fine meshes
- Detected parts and baked placement
- Unit and up-axis controls
- Reparsed OBJ download verification
From trimmed CAD faces to OBJ triangles
Surface detail follows the selected tolerance
Draft favors smaller meshes; Fine uses a tighter tolerance for curved surfaces. Select quality before reading the file. Verification compares the exported OBJ with this tessellation, not with the exact surface equations.
Open surfaces remain open surfaces
The converter does not stitch neighboring patches, close holes or turn a surface model into a watertight solid. Keep, Merge and Split change object packaging; they do not repair CAD topology.
Unit normalization is explicit
The CAD engine converts supported IGES units to millimeters. Those coordinates are then scaled to your output unit once. IGES has no universal up direction, so confirm the guessed source axis before rotating.
How to convert IGES or IGS to OBJ
Step 1
Select a surface tessellation quality
Choose Draft, Balanced or Fine, then open a .iges or .igs model up to 100 MB. Inspect the detected faces and parts in the input preview.
Step 2
Confirm scale, up direction and part handling
Review normalized millimeter coordinates, confirm the source up axis and choose the OBJ unit. Keep parts, merge them or split detected parts into separate files.
Step 3
Check the mesh approximation and save it
Convert and inspect the output preview generated from reparsed OBJ bytes. Verify dimensions, then download the OBJ or ZIP and keep the original CAD model.
Bring legacy CAD surfaces into a mesh editor
Visualize a supplier surface model
Create an OBJ from an IGES part for material assignment, lighting and staging in a polygon renderer.
Inspect a surface export before mesh editing
View the tessellated input and output to check missing patches, orientation and dimensions before cleanup or remeshing.
Hand off detected parts separately
Split imported parts into a ZIP of OBJ files or keep them as named objects in one file, with their relative placement retained.
IGES and OBJ are different file formats
IGES is a CAD exchange format widely used for analytic, freeform and trimmed surface data, as well as curves and drafting entities. OBJ stores mesh vertices, normals and polygon faces for modeling applications. Converting between them requires tessellation: exact CAD faces are sampled into triangles. Mesh quality controls the approximation while surface definitions and drawing information are discarded.
| Property | IGES | OBJ |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Analytic and trimmed CAD surfaces | Triangle approximation |
| Topology | Faces, edges and possible solids | Mesh surfaces; open patches stay open |
| Part organization | CAD groups and subfigures | Flat detected objects or separate files |
| Shading | Surface orientation and presentation data | Mesh normals; no colors, UV unwrap or MTL |
| Precision | Exact curves, NURBS and tolerances | Selected tessellation quality |
| Drawing information | Dimensions, annotations and views | Omitted from geometry export |
Troubleshoot IGES surface conversion
- No surface geometry is found
- Export faces or solid bodies from the original CAD system. A wireframe, curve set or 2D drawing alone cannot become an OBJ surface mesh here.
- The result has gaps or faceted curves
- Use Fine quality for smoother curves. Repair gaps or failed trims in the CAD source; increasing tessellation quality does not sew separate surfaces together.
- External-reference geometry is reported
- Resolve referenced models in the CAD application and export a self-contained IGES with all required surfaces included.
IGES / IGS to OBJ limitations
- IGES to OBJ approximates exact CAD surfaces with triangles. Curves, NURBS definitions, CAD topology, tolerances, colors and drafting data are lost. Keep the IGES original; OBJ stores no physical unit or MTL materials.
- Only supported surface and solid faces are tessellated. Wireframe-only, drawing-only, malformed and empty inputs cannot provide output meshes.
- Detached or open patches are not healed, sewn or capped. Merge is a mesh combination, not a CAD Boolean union.
- CAD parameter coordinates do not become texture UVs. No texture images, material library or engineering metadata is reconstructed.
- Output validation confirms agreement with the imported tessellation; it cannot certify exact CAD equivalence or manufacturing tolerances.
IGES to OBJ FAQ
Are both IGES and IGS supported?
Yes. The same reader accepts .iges and .igs. The shorter extension does not require a separate conversion or a rename.
What does IGES to OBJ lose?
IGES to OBJ approximates exact CAD surfaces with triangles. Curves, NURBS definitions, CAD topology, tolerances, colors and drafting data are lost. Keep the IGES original; OBJ stores no physical unit or MTL materials.
Can an IGES wireframe become an OBJ surface?
Not here. Export a surface or solid model from the source CAD application. Curves and drawing entities alone do not define the faces needed for this mesh export.
Does Fine quality preserve exact NURBS surfaces?
No. Fine creates more triangles that approximate supported curved surfaces more closely. Exact NURBS equations and CAD topology remain available only in the source model.
Will conversion close gaps between IGES patches?
No. It does not sew, heal or cap surfaces. Repair those issues in CAD or a mesh editor. Merge combines existing surfaces into one object without changing their topology.
How are units and multiple parts handled?
The importer normalizes source units to millimeters; your selection then controls OBJ coordinate values. Detected parts can remain flat named objects, merge into one or split into a ZIP. Import OBJ with the same output unit.
Does my CAD file leave this device?
No. The CAD engine, previews, OBJ generation and output checks run locally in the browser. External-reference entities are rejected.
Preparing IGES geometry for a printing workflow?
Use IGES to STL when a downstream slicer expects triangle facets. Choose OBJ for mesh editing with named objects and normals. Neither conversion heals open IGES surfaces.