← CAD and mesh conversion guides

OCCT conversion workflows

IGES to STL

Convert IGES to STL. Generate surface triangles and check units, orientation and mesh detail for STL delivery.

Build this conversion into your application with OCCT readers, writers and the commercial components identified below.

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Input interface
OCCT IGES reader
Processing route
CAD to mesh
Output interface
OCCT STL writer

Read IGES for STL conversion

A IGES-to-STL workflow combines the IGES reader with the STL writer. Use it when the receiving application needs STL data from an existing IGES model.

Read IGS or IGES geometry with the OCCT IGES interface. Inspect the transferred curves, surfaces and topology before conversion: an IGES model may contain disconnected surfaces or wire geometry rather than a closed solid.

Write the selected surfaces as STL triangles

For mesh output, tessellate the imported faces and inspect boundaries between adjacent surfaces. Curves alone do not define a surface mesh. For BRep output, determine whether sewing or shape healing is needed before writing the translated geometry.

Prepare triangulation for the selected geometry and write it with the OCCT STL interface. Set mesh detail for the destination task. STL does not retain the full assembly tree, names, colors or CAD metadata; keep the source model when those relationships matter.

Validate the STL result

Check units, surface coverage, open boundaries and tolerances. A successful translation does not establish watertightness or restore product structure that the source IGES file did not contain.

Check unit scale, bounds, face orientation and connectivity in the receiving application. Include small features and curved regions in the comparison. Producing an STL file does not itself validate printability, watertightness or suitability for material removal.

For a production pipeline, keep a representative source file and its expected geometry and attributes with the conversion settings. Discuss conversion integration with the source and destination applications, or compare the supported format interfaces.

Conversion integration

Build a IGES to STL workflow

Share the source and receiving applications, representative files, required attributes and throughput. We can scope SDK evaluation or an integrated conversion service.