OTB to FIG Converter

Transform OTB bitmaps into FIG vector graphics easily

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Simple Interface

Three steps to convert: upload your OTB, select FIG, and download. The clean interface makes the process intuitive even for first-time users.

Privacy Protected

Your OTB files are deleted immediately after conversion to FIG. Converted files are automatically removed from servers within 24 hours.

Scalable Output

FIG offers Xfig vector drawing format — your OTB bitmap becomes a vector graphic that scales cleanly to any resolution.

How to convert OTB to FIG

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose fig or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your fig file right afterwards

About formats

OTB (Over-the-Air Bitmap) is a monochrome image format developed by Nokia as part of their Smart Messaging specification in 1997, designed for transmitting small graphics — operator logos, group graphics, and picture messages — to Nokia mobile phones via SMS. OTB files contain 1-bit (black and white) images at small fixed resolutions, typically 72x14 pixels for operator logos and 72x28 pixels for group graphics, encoded in a compact binary format suitable for embedding within the payload of SMS text messages. The format uses a simple structure: a header byte indicating whether the image is an operator logo or group graphic, width and height values, and the raw bitmap data where each bit represents one pixel packed eight per byte. The extremely tight format — designed to fit within a single SMS message (140 bytes maximum payload, shared with addressing overhead) — reflects the severe constraints of mobile communication in the late 1990s. Nokia's Smart Messaging system was one of the first commercial implementations of rich content delivery to mobile phones, and OTB images represented the entire visual content capability of Nokia handsets before MMS and mobile data browsing arrived. One advantage is the format's historical role as a pioneer of mobile visual messaging: OTB images were among the first graphics that ordinary consumers could send to each other's phones, predating MMS, camera phones, and smartphones by nearly a decade. The format's minimal footprint is another characteristic — entire images fit in a few dozen bytes, reflecting an era of extreme bandwidth constraints. OTB files are supported by ImageMagick, various Nokia phone management tools, and specialty mobile format utilities.
Developer: Nokia
Initial release: 1997
FIG is the native file format of Xfig, a free vector graphics editor for the X Window System, originally written by Supoj Sutanthavibul at the University of Texas at Austin in 1985. The format uses a plain-text structure where each graphic object is described on one or more lines with numeric parameters specifying object type, coordinates, line properties, fill attributes, and depth ordering. FIG supports compound objects (groups), polylines, polygons, splines, arcs, ellipses, text strings, and imported bitmaps, each with configurable colors, line styles, arrow heads, and area fills. Files begin with a header line declaring the format version (currently 3.2), followed by a resolution specification and the object definitions. One advantage is exceptional simplicity — the entirely text-based format is trivially parsed, generated, and manipulated by scripts, making FIG popular as an intermediate format in automated diagram generation pipelines. The rich ecosystem of conversion tools is another strength: fig2dev exports FIG files to dozens of output formats including EPS, PDF, SVG, LaTeX picture environments, PSTricks, and TikZ. This made Xfig and FIG especially popular in academic and scientific communities, where authors generate publication-quality figures that integrate seamlessly with LaTeX documents. While graphical tools have evolved since the 1980s, FIG remains in use among researchers who value its scriptability, LaTeX integration, and well-documented format stability.
Initial release: 1985

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the reason to convert OTB to FIG?

FIG provides Xfig vector drawing format, which OTB cannot offer. This conversion lets you move from fixed-resolution bitmaps to flexible vector artwork.

Which software can view FIG files?

FIG files can be opened with Xfig, Inkscape (with import), fig2dev tools. Most of these are available across Windows, macOS, and Linux.

How long does OTB to FIG conversion take?

Most OTB to FIG conversions complete within a few seconds. The lightweight nature of OTB images means fast processing times.

What exactly is the OTB format?

OTB (Over-The-Air bitmap format for early Nokia phones) originated in Nokia mobile phones. It has very limited modern application support but can be converted to modern formats on Convertio.

Does converting OTB to FIG affect quality?

Quality is maintained to the extent FIG supports. Since OTB is an Over-The-Air bitmap format for early Nokia phones, the visual data transfers cleanly to FIG.