RGF to XBM Converter

Quick RGF to XBM conversion — free online tool

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Secure Processing

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

Speedy Conversion

No long waits — RGF to XBM 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 RGF and encodes it into XBM at maximum fidelity. No unnecessary quality degradation.

How to convert RGF to XBM

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

RGF (Robot Graphics Format) is a simple monochrome bitmap image format used by LEGO Mindstorms EV3 programmable robotics kits, introduced with the EV3 system on September 1, 2013. RGF files store 1-bit (black and white) images designed for display on the EV3 Intelligent Brick's 178x128 pixel monochrome LCD screen. The format uses a minimal structure: a header containing the image width and height as binary values, followed by the pixel data where each bit represents one pixel (1 for black, 0 for white), packed eight per byte in row-major order. RGF images are used as custom display graphics in EV3 programs — students and hobbyists create them for robot status displays, user interfaces, splash screens, and animation frames shown on the brick's screen during program execution. The images are typically designed using LEGO's EV3 software (which includes a built-in image editor) or converted from other formats using community tools. RGF fits within LEGO's broader educational robotics platform, where the Mindstorms system teaches programming, engineering, and computational thinking to students worldwide. One advantage is the format's role in educational technology: RGF provides a simple, concrete example of how digital images are represented as binary data — a concept that students working with Mindstorms can directly observe by examining the file contents and seeing the corresponding image on the brick's screen. The format's simplicity makes it accessible for young programmers learning about file formats and binary data. RGF files can be created and converted using ImageMagick, the EV3 development environment, and community tools like ev3dev.
Developer: The LEGO Group
Initial release: 2013
XBM (X BitMap) is a monochrome (1-bit) image format defined as part of the X Window System, originating at MIT around 1987. XBM files are unique among image formats in being valid C source code: each file defines the image as a static array of unsigned char values containing the packed pixel data, preceded by #define statements specifying the image width, height, and optional hot-spot coordinates (for cursor images). The pixel data is stored in hexadecimal byte values within curly braces, with each bit representing one pixel (1 = foreground, 0 = background) and bits ordered LSB-first within each byte. This design was intentional — XBM images could be #included directly into X Window application source code and compiled into the binary, eliminating the need for external file loading and runtime format parsing. The format was used throughout the X11 ecosystem for cursor shapes, window icons, toolbar buttons, and other small UI elements. One advantage is the source-code nature of the format: XBM files can be edited with a text editor, diff'd and merged in version control, generated by shell scripts, and compiled directly into C programs without any image loading library — a level of toolchain integration that no binary image format can match. The format's role as part of the X Window standard ensures it is understood by every X11-aware toolkit and application. While limited to monochrome and no compression, XBM's simplicity makes it an excellent teaching format for understanding bitmap representations. XBM files are supported by all X11 applications, ImageMagick, GIMP, web browsers (as a legacy web format), and programming environments.
Developer: MIT X Consortium
Initial release: 1987

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert RGF to XBM?

Converting from RGF to XBM bridges the gap between specialized educational robotics formats and standard image workflows.

What programs open XBM files?

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

Why is RGF not widely supported?

RGF was designed exclusively for LEGO Mindstorms brick displays — a very niche educational robotics platform with its own proprietary graphics format.

Which platforms are supported?

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

Can I convert multiple RGF files at once?

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