Convert EASM to IGES

A receiving CAD, inspection, or manufacturing system may require IGES when it cannot import an EASM viewing file. Because EASM normally contains published visualization data rather than editable CAD history, the dependable solution is to obtain the original model and export IGES from its authoring system.

What the EASM format is

EASM is an eDrawings assembly file used to share lightweight 3D assembly views. SOLIDWORKS eDrawings Publisher and compatible CAD applications create it for design reviews, measurements, section views, annotations, and markup without distributing the complete native CAD project.

An EASM file is a compressed published representation. Depending on the publishing settings, it can retain visible component geometry, assembly structure, views, measurements, cross-sections, and markup, but it normally does not contain the original feature tree, sketches, mates, design parameters, or fully editable part solids.

What the IGES format is

IGES uses the .igs and .iges extensions to exchange CAD geometry between different systems. It can represent curves, wireframes, trimmed surfaces, and boundary-representation solids for older or mixed CAD, CAM, tooling, and inspection workflows.

IGES is useful when the receiving application lacks support for the sender's native format, but it generally does not preserve feature history, parametric constraints, assembly mates, materials, or modern product-structure metadata. If the recipient accepts it, STEP is usually the better exchange format for native solid and assembly data.

How to convert EASM to IGES

Preferred method: export the source model

1. Ask the EASM creator for the original SOLIDWORKS assembly and part files, or for a native CAD, STEP, or Parasolid file. An EASM file alone is often insufficient for a faithful IGES export.
2. Open the source assembly in its authoring CAD system and resolve missing component references. Suppress construction or vendor components that should not appear in the exchange file.
3. In SOLIDWORKS, choose File → Save As, select IGES (*.igs; *.iges), and open the export options.
4. Select the required solid or surface representation, preserve the model units, and use the required coordinate system. IGES stores a unit designation, but importers can interpret units or scale inconsistently.
5. Reopen the exported file in the recipient's CAD or inspection software. Check scale, orientation, body count, face seams, surface gaps, holes, and critical dimensions.

For an assembly that must remain divided into components, export the required parts separately and provide an assembly layout or component list. A single IGES file generally does not preserve assembly mates or a usable product structure.

When only the EASM file is available

Open the file in eDrawings Professional and check whether geometry export is enabled. In supported versions, use File → Save As and select STL (*.stl). The standard eDrawings Viewer does not provide a general EASM-to-IGES export.

Import the STL into a reverse-engineering application such as Geomagic Design X or SOLIDWORKS with the ScanTo3D add-in. Rebuild analytic surfaces or solids, validate the dimensions against the EASM measurements or source documentation, and export the reconstructed CAD model through File → Save As → IGES. FreeCAD can be useful for simple manual reconstruction, but it does not turn an arbitrary mesh into clean parametric IGES geometry automatically.

This is reconstruction, not direct conversion. STL export can discard sharp edges, analytic surfaces, small holes, assembly separation, tolerances, and dimensional accuracy. A mesh may also represent only the visible or selected components.

Online and desktop conversion options

There is no generally reliable online service that recovers editable IGES geometry from every EASM file. Services such as CAD Exchanger Cloud can convert supported native CAD or STEP inputs to IGES, but support for EASM must be confirmed in the service's current input-format list; do not assume that an EASM upload is accepted as CAD geometry. Export the source model to STEP first when possible.

For confidential, regulated, or proprietary assemblies, use SOLIDWORKS or the original authoring CAD system rather than uploading files to a web service. If no source model exists, a CAD-reconstruction specialist can inspect the EASM or exported mesh and validate the result against required tolerances.

Quality and compatibility checks

After IGES export, verify units, coordinate orientation, trimmed-face boundaries, surface closure, tolerance behavior, and the number of solids. Some exporters produce disconnected surfaces instead of watertight solids, and different importers can interpret IGES entity types and tolerances differently.

When the receiving system supports STEP, request .step or .stp from the source model instead of converting a visualization-only EASM file.