Convert SAT to IGES

A CAD, CAM, inspection, or tooling application may require IGES even when the supplied model is an ACIS SAT file. Converting it provides a neutral file for exchange, but it does not preserve the source model’s parametric design history.

What the SAT format is

SAT is the text-based native geometry format of Spatial’s ACIS solid-modeling kernel. Applications such as AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Solid Edge, and other mechanical CAD systems use ACIS geometry and may import or export .sat files.

A SAT file can contain boundary-representation geometry and topology, including solids, shells, faces, edges, curves, tolerances, colors, and selected modeling attributes. It normally does not contain the originating application’s feature tree, sketches, constraints, assembly mates, or full parametric history. SAT is therefore useful for transferring shape between ACIS-compatible systems, but it is not a complete native project file.

What the IGES format is

IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) is an older neutral CAD format usually saved as .igs or .iges. Its entity types support wireframe curves, trimmed and untrimmed surfaces, annotations, and, in implementations that support them, manifold solid boundary representations.

IGES remains relevant when a receiving CAD, CAM, CNC, metrology, tooling, or inspection system specifically requires it. Its long history gives it broad compatibility, but it generally carries less design intelligence than a native CAD file or STEP. Some IGES importers represent a converted solid as separate trimmed surfaces, requiring stitching or healing before the model can be used as a solid.

How to convert SAT to IGES

CAD Exchanger Desktop is a suitable dedicated option when the installed edition supports both ACIS SAT import and IGES export. Check the format list and licensing for the specific version before purchasing or processing a production file.

1. Make a copy of the original .sat file and keep the source unchanged.
2. In CAD Exchanger, use File → Open and select the SAT file.
3. Inspect the model tree and viewport. Confirm that bodies, holes, curved faces, and required assembly components loaded correctly.
4. Verify the model units. SAT files do not always provide a unit interpretation that survives between applications, so compare a known dimension with the source CAD system.
5. Use File → Export or the equivalent save command, choose IGES (*.igs, *.iges), and select solid or B-rep output when the exporter provides that option.
6. Open the exported IGES file in a separate CAD or inspection application. Check overall dimensions, body count, surface continuity, and whether the receiving program recognizes a closed solid.

A commercial CAD system with both translators can perform the same conversion. For example, Autodesk Inventor can generally open supported SAT files and export IGES through its CAD-format export command; exact menu names and supported SAT revisions vary by release. Use the application’s file-type filter and export command rather than changing .sat to .igs, because renaming does not convert the geometry.

A browser-based option such as CAD Exchanger’s online conversion service may be suitable when its current format list, account type, and file-size limits allow SAT input and IGES output. Upload only data authorized for external processing; proprietary product, aerospace, medical, and tooling geometry may be restricted by confidentiality, retention, or export-control requirements.

Quality and compatibility limits

• Parametric information is lost. Features, sketches, constraints, materials, assembly mates, and most native CAD metadata do not survive SAT-to-IGES translation.
• IGES output may contain many trimmed surfaces rather than a recognized solid. Stitch or heal the surfaces in the receiving system if solid operations fail.
• Gaps, invalid tolerances, self-intersecting trims, and sliver faces in the SAT model can produce missing or broken IGES entities. Repair the source model before export when possible.
• Verify units using a known dimension. Interpreting millimeters as inches, or inches as millimeters, changes the apparent scale by a factor of 25.4.
• Colors, layers, object names, visibility states, and assembly structure depend on the translator and may be discarded or reorganized.
• ACIS kernel and SAT-version differences can prevent import. If the target tool rejects the file, request an older SAT revision or have the originating CAD application create the IGES file directly.
• For new exchanges, ask whether the recipient accepts STEP instead; it often preserves solid structure more reliably than IGES, although the recipient’s required format takes precedence.