Convert Smart 3D to IGES in your application
3D InterOp is a CAD interoperability SDK that lets your software read Smart 3D files and write IGES, writing the Smart 3D facets as faceted geometry, since Smart 3D stores triangles rather than solids.
Spatial does not offer an online converter or a desktop conversion app. 3D InterOp is a component that software vendors embed in their own products.
- Reads Smart 3D · Writes IGES
- Triangle mesh → faceted B-Rep
- C++ / C# APIs
Smart 3D to IGES at a glance
Smart 3D stores triangles; IGES is an exact-geometry format. The mesh is written as faceted geometry: 3D InterOp doesn’t rebuild smooth surfaces from triangles.
| Smart 3D (source) | IGES (target) | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Hexagon (Intergraph) Smart 3D review files | Initial Graphics Exchange Specification |
| Standard / owner | Hexagon | ANSI |
| File extensions | .xml with its .vue | .igs, .iges |
| Geometry | Tessellated geometry | Exact B-Rep and surfaces |
| Assemblies / structure | Yes: plant hierarchy (.xml) | No native assembly hierarchy |
| 3D InterOp support | Read only | Read and write |
What's preserved, what changes
Here is what your application can expect to carry across from Smart 3D to IGES.
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Changes
Assembly structureIGES has no native assembly hierarchy. Decide in your application how Smart 3D product structure is grouped or flattened before writing.
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Changes
Faceted geometrySmart 3D stores triangles, so the IGES file holds faceted bodies, not solids. 3D InterOp doesn’t rebuild exact B-Rep from a mesh.
Why software vendors add Smart 3D to IGES conversion
Legacy CAD and CAM systems
Many established engineering tools still consume IGES first. Writing it lets your users hand data to them without leaving your application.
Supplier and partner exchange
Some suppliers and manufacturing partners still specify IGES in their exchange requirements. Your software can meet them directly.
Geometry-only workflows
When a downstream process needs exact part geometry and nothing more, IGES is a simple, widely readable target.
Things to check before you ship
- Written IGES versions: IGES 5.3.
- Supported Smart 3D input: the .xml file with its .vue file.
- Provide the .xml with its .vue file: a standalone .vue gives visualization data only.
- Validate a sample of translated files in the target system your users actually work with.
Working with Spatial was a real milestone for us: Thanks to the powerful 3DInterOp library, we were able to successfully bring our complex CAD-based solutions to the cloud while remaining flexible to meet individual customer requirements. For us, Spatial is not just a technology partner, but a true enabler of our product strategy.
Dr. Arno Michelis, Founder, Simus Systems
Read the Case StudyAbout the formats
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Source format
What is a Smart 3D file?
Hexagon Smart 3D is a plant and marine design system. Its models are shared as review files: a .vue file with the geometry and an .xml file with the plant hierarchy and properties.
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Target format
What is an IGES (.igs) file?
IGES is one of the earliest neutral CAD formats, an ANSI standard for exchanging 2D and 3D geometry. It stores exact curves, surfaces and solids, but not the product structure and manufacturing data STEP can carry.
Frequently asked questions
No. Smart 3D stores triangles, and 3D InterOp writes them to IGES as faceted geometry. It doesn’t rebuild exact B-Rep from a mesh.
IGES has no assembly hierarchy, so your application decides how the Smart 3D structure is grouped or flattened before writing.
Provide the .xml file with its .vue file. A standalone .vue file gives visualization data only.
3D InterOp reads the .xml file with its .vue file, as visualization data.
3D InterOp writes IGES 5.3.
No. 3D InterOp reads Smart 3D but doesn’t write it. To send data back to Smart 3D users, write a neutral format they can import.
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Building software that needs to convert Smart 3D to IGES?
3D InterOp is an SDK that lets your application read Smart 3D and write IGES alongside 30+ CAD and BIM formats.