What is the BIP file format?
.bip files store multi-band raster image data in band-interleaved-by-pixel order, a widely used raw binary layout in GIS and remote-sensing workflows. The format is closely associated with Esri ArcGIS and ArcView, and is also supported by tools such as ENVI, GDAL and QGIS.
The defining characteristic of the .bip interleave is how pixel values are arranged on disk: all band values for a single pixel are written consecutively before moving to the next pixel. For a three-band image, the file begins with the band-1, band-2 and band-3 values of pixel 1, then the same three values of pixel 2, and so on. This layout makes .bip particularly efficient for pixel-based operations such as spectral classification, where every band of a single pixel must be read together. By contrast, a BIL file stores all bands for one complete scan-line before the next, while a BSQ file stores each band in its entirety before the next band begins.
Because a .bip file is raw binary with no internal header or magic bytes, it cannot be interpreted without a companion header. Metadata - including image dimensions, band count, data type and byte order - is stored in a separate .hdr file (ENVI-style) or in an .aux sidecar. Deleting or misplacing the header renders the raw data unreadable.
.bip data is used across satellite imagery, aerial photography and multispectral analysis. It can hold imagery with dozens of spectral bands, making it common in hyperspectral and thermal remote sensing. Modern GIS pipelines increasingly favour GeoTIFF for self-describing raster interchange, but .bip and its siblings remain in active use for raw raster export and import.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA BIP raster is passive binary data, not executable - no direct risk from opening it in GIS software. The practical 'gotcha' is the missing header: a .bip without its .hdr is unusable, so make sure the header travels with it. Get GIS tools from official sources (qgis.org, gdal.org, esri.com) rather than ad-portal 'BIP viewers', which rarely handle the format and may bundle adware. If your .bip is actually game data or biped animation, handle it with that software instead.
Format details
in a nutshell- Battlefield game archive (DICE/Frostbite) - Some Battlefield/EA games use .bip for packed binary game data; unrelated to GIS rasters.
- MotionBuilder character animation (.bip-like) - Autodesk Character Studio uses .bip for biped motion-capture animation in 3ds Max - a different 'bip' than the raster image.
- Generic binary input/parameter file - Various applications use .bip for binary input or settings data.
Programs that open BIP files
Windows4 apps
ENVI
Paid The native remote-sensing tool for ENVI-headered BIP - File to Open Image File; full band math and analysis.
QGIS (with GDAL)
Open-source Add Raster Layer to select the .bip (its .hdr must be alongside). GDAL's ENVI driver interprets the interleave and bands.
Esri ArcGIS Pro / ArcMap
Paid Add the .bip as a raster dataset (with its header); ArcGIS reads BIP/BIL/BSQ raster layouts.
GDAL (command line)
Open-source gdal_translate input.bip output.tif converts BIP (with .hdr) to GeoTIFF; gdalinfo inspects it. 
macOS1 app
QGIS / GDAL
Open-source Same as Windows - open the .bip (with its .hdr) as a raster layer, or convert with gdal_translate. 
Linux1 app
QGIS / GDAL
Open-source Open via Add Raster Layer, or use gdal_translate / gdalinfo from the terminal. Technical details
deep spec| Pixel data order | All band values for each pixel stored consecutively before the next pixel - e.g. B1,B2,B3 of pixel 1; then B1,B2,B3 of pixel 2 |
| Encoding | Raw binary; data type per band declared in the companion header (8-bit, 16-bit or 32-bit integer, or 32/64-bit float) |
| Byte order | Little-endian or big-endian - declared in the .hdr file; no built-in default |
| Compression | None - uncompressed raw raster samples |
| File signature / magic bytes | None - pure binary data with no embedded signature; format identity and layout are entirely defined by the external header |
| Required sidecar files | .hdr (ENVI-style header) declaring rows, columns, band count, data type and byte order; optionally .bpw (world file) and .aux for georeferencing |
| Typical file size | 1 MB to several GB - satellite and aerial multispectral scenes are routinely multi-gigabyte |
| Band count | Variable; commonly 3-13 bands for multispectral imagery, up to hundreds of bands for hyperspectral data |
| MIME type | application/octet-stream (generic binary); image/x-bip used in some GIS contexts |
| Interleave siblings | Companion raster layouts are BIL (band-interleaved-by-line) and BSQ (band-sequential); all three share the same ENVI-style .hdr header format |
| Pixel-access efficiency | Optimal for per-pixel spectral analysis since all bands are co-located; less efficient than BSQ for single-band-only reads |
| Image dimensions | No format-imposed limit; constrained only by header field sizes and available storage |
| Spatial reference | Georeferencing supplied externally via a .bpw world file or fields in the .hdr; not stored in the .bip data file itself |
| Platform support | Windows, Linux and macOS via ArcGIS Pro/ArcMap, ENVI, QGIS/GDAL and other GIS or remote-sensing tools |
| Released | Long-standing remote-sensing raster convention (used across GIS since the 1980s-90s) |
| Latest version | N/A (a data-layout convention, not a versioned format) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | desktop.arcgis.com |
BIP conversions
Community Q&A
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