What is IGES, STEP file – what is it used for?

Introduction to IGES /STEP: IGES, STEP is a CAD file format that allows you to open a 3D model and edit it in any software. IGES and STEP are widely used neutral CAD formats that are accepted in all software. In IGES, the output is in the surface, while the STEP file retains the assembly hierarchy, and the output is a mixture of solids/volumes and surfaces (only solids are used in most cases).

The IGES and STEP formats are used as neutral data formats to transfer designs to different systems. Converters developed in accordance with the IGES and STEP standards are used to export designs to IGES and STEP files for exchange, and to import IGES and STEP files into the target system What is the STP/STEP file format.

Iges VS step

STP is a file extension for a three-D graphics file used by CAD software. STP represents the exchange of product model data on behalf of STandard. STP files are used to store 3D image data in ASCII format, following the criteria defined in ISO 10303-21: clear text encoding of the switching structure.

The step file extension is used for 3D files created in step (Product Data Exchange Standard)
format. STEP is an ISO standard for computer-interpretable data representing and exchanging industrial products.

Typically, STEP can be used to exchange data between CAD, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided engineering, product data management/EDM, and other CAx systems.
STEP is dedicated to processing product data from mechanical and electrical design, geometry and hearing resistance, analysis and manufacturing, as well as other information specific to a variety of industries such as automotive, aerospace, construction, marine, oil and gas, processing plants, and others.

What does iges stands for?

The Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) is a neutral file format designed to transfer 2D and 3D drawing data between different CAD systems. The IGES standard defines two file formats: fixed-length ASCII (which stores information in an 80-character record) and compressed ASCII. The IGESIMPORT and IGESEXPORT commands only support fixed-length formats.

IGES is the first standard switching format developed to meet the data requirements of communication product definitions between different CAD/CAM/CAE systems. Earlier versions of IGES were implicitly targeted at CAD/CAM systems in the 1970s and early 1980s. The latest version extends the type of data to be exchanged. IGES Version 2.0 was approved in July 1982 to support the exchange of limited metadata and printed circuit board data.

Together with version 2.0, it is also a general committee that ensures that IGES is able to handle graphical representing of all products. Version 3.0 later enhanced the functionality of user-defined macros, which are critical to switching standard part libraries. Version 4.0 supports the CSG tree for entities. For entity modeling with boundary represents, IGES version 5.0 was produced in 1991.

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