Free online IGS to WEBP converter

What the IGS format is

IGS, also written as IGES and commonly saved with .igs or .iges, is a text-based neutral exchange format for CAD data. It stores geometric entities such as wireframes, curves, surfaces, and sometimes solid-model information for transferring designs between different CAD systems.

Mechanical and industrial design programs including CATIA, SolidWorks, Siemens NX, Autodesk Inventor, and FreeCAD can import or export IGES files. You typically encounter IGS files when receiving legacy engineering data, exchanging a model with another CAD system, or opening a design exported from a supplier's software.

What the WEBP format is

WEBP is a raster image format intended for web pages, documentation, previews, and application interfaces. It supports lossy and lossless compression, transparency, and much smaller files than many PNG or JPEG images at comparable visual quality.

WEBP cannot store CAD curves, surfaces, solids, dimensions, layers, units, or editable model structure. An IGS-to-WEBP conversion therefore produces a rendered or preview image of the model, not a geometrically equivalent replacement.

How to actually convert IGS to WEBP

Using the online converter

101convert.com provides a free browser-based conversion without installing CAD software.

1. Open the IGS to WEBP converter on 101convert.com.
2. Upload the .igs or .iges file.
3. Select WEBP as the output format and start the conversion.
4. Download the resulting image after processing finishes.

This method is suitable for a standard preview. The output is a 2D view, so it cannot preserve selectable faces, model measurements, CAD metadata, or multiple viewing angles.

Using FreeCAD and ImageMagick

For control over the camera angle, background, and image dimensions, create the preview in FreeCAD and encode it as WEBP separately.

1. Install FreeCAD and open the IGS file with File → Open. FreeCAD imports IGES geometry through its Part workbench.
2. Use the view controls to choose the required axonometric or orthographic angle, then fit the complete model in the viewport.
3. Set the display mode, background, and visibility of individual bodies or surfaces. Save a high-resolution raster image with View → Save image, using PNG as the intermediate format, for example model.png.
4. Convert the image with ImageMagick:

magick model.png -quality 90 model.webp

Use lossless WEBP when the image contains thin technical lines, labels, or sharp edges that show compression artifacts. For photographic or shaded renders, lossy quality around 80–90 usually reduces the file size with limited visible degradation.

Quality and compatibility limitations

IGS files do not normally contain a finished camera view, lighting setup, or material appearance. Different importers can display the same surfaces differently, and unsupported IGES entities may be omitted or appear incorrectly. Inspect the model before saving the preview.

Increase the source image dimensions before WEBP encoding; enlarging a small WEBP afterward cannot restore edge detail. Transparent backgrounds require a converter and viewer that preserve WEBP alpha data. Keep the original IGS file for CAD work because the WEBP output contains only pixels and cannot be edited as a 3D model.