PIX to SIXEL Converter

Quick PIX to SIXEL conversion — free online tool

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Secure Processing

All PIX uploads are encrypted in transit. Files are deleted immediately after conversion — your SIXEL results are available for 24 hours only.

Speedy Conversion

No long waits — PIX to SIXEL processing is optimized for speed. Your converted file is typically ready in just a few seconds.

Quality Preserved

The converter extracts full image data from PIX and encodes it into SIXEL at maximum fidelity. No unnecessary quality degradation.

How to convert PIX to SIXEL

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

PIX is a raster image format originally developed by Alias Research (later Alias|Wavefront, then acquired by Autodesk) in the mid-1980s for use with their 3D animation and modeling software running on Silicon Graphics workstations. The format stores uncompressed 24-bit RGB image data in a straightforward scanline-by-scanline layout preceded by a minimal header containing the image width and height. PIX was the native output format of Alias's rendering engines, used to store individual frames of 3D animations and rendered stills from software that would eventually evolve into Maya, one of the most influential 3D content creation tools in entertainment history. The format's design reflected the priorities of high-end production rendering: raw speed for writing individual frames during batch renders, exact pixel fidelity with no compression artifacts, and compatibility with the hardware framebuffers used in professional compositing suites of the era. One advantage of PIX is its rendering pipeline heritage — the format can be read by tools throughout the VFX and animation industry, and legacy PIX sequences from Alias-era productions represent irreplaceable primary assets from foundational works in computer animation. The format's simplicity provides another practical benefit: with no compression overhead, metadata complexity, or container parsing required, PIX files can be read and written with minimal code, making them trivial to incorporate into custom rendering and compositing pipelines. PIX files are supported by ImageMagick, GIMP, XnView, and various professional compositing tools.
Developer: Alias Research
Initial release: 1985
SIXEL (Six Pixel) is a bitmap graphics encoding format created by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1983 for rendering images on character-cell printers and video terminals. The name derives from the encoding's fundamental unit: a column of six pixels represented by a single ASCII character. Each printable character in the sixel data stream (ASCII 63-126) encodes a 6-pixel vertical column, with the character's binary value determining which pixels are on or off. Color is specified through register-based palette control: a Select Color Sequence assigns an HLS or RGB color value to a numbered register, and subsequent sixel characters use that color until another register is selected. The encoding supports raster attributes for specifying pixel aspect ratio and image dimensions, repeat sequences (! followed by a count and character) for run-length compression of identical columns, and $ (carriage return) and - (new line) for navigating the sixel grid. DEC implemented SIXEL support in their VT240, VT241, VT330, and VT340 terminals, as well as multiple printer models. One advantage of the SIXEL encoding is its ASCII-clean nature: the data stream consists entirely of printable characters and standard control sequences, meaning SIXEL graphics can be transmitted through any text-based communication channel — serial terminals, SSH sessions, telnet connections — without requiring binary-safe transport or protocol modifications. The format's modern renaissance provides another remarkable dimension: after decades of obscurity, SIXEL support has been implemented in numerous contemporary terminal emulators, enabling inline image display in command-line workflows. SIXEL output can be generated by ImageMagick, libsixel, chafa, and various plotting libraries.
Initial release: 1983

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert PIX to SIXEL?

Converting from PIX to SIXEL bridges the gap between specialized early 3D animation and VFX formats and standard image workflows.

What programs open SIXEL files?

Open SIXEL files with any image editor or viewer — Photoshop, GIMP, Paint.NET, IrfanView, or the built-in viewer on your operating system.

Why is PIX not widely supported?

PIX belongs to the legacy Alias PowerAnimator ecosystem — a precursor to Maya. Modern 3D tools moved to different formats long ago.

Which platforms are supported?

Every platform with a modern browser works — Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, and Android all run the PIX to SIXEL converter perfectly.

Can I convert multiple PIX files at once?

Yes — upload several PIX files in a single session and convert them all to SIXEL simultaneously. Batch processing saves considerable time.