IGES, or the Initial Graphics Exchange Specification, is a vendor-agnostic file format which facilitates the digital exchange and transfer of information among computer-aided design (CAD) systems.
CAD users can leverage IGES to exchange product data models with one another. These can be viewed in the form of circuit diagrams, wireframes, freeform surfaces, or solid modeling representations. The specification was first developed by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards in January 1980.
