Reference

SGI / RGB image

SGI is a raster image format from Silicon Graphics, using extensions like .sgi, .rgb, and .rgba. It was a standard on SGI workstations and still appears in older VFX and 3D pipelines.

Files & formatsGeneral

SGI / RGB image

Also known as: SGI image, .rgb file, .sgi file, Silicon Graphics image

SGI is a raster image format from Silicon Graphics, using extensions like .sgi, .rgb, and .rgba. It was a standard on SGI workstations and still appears in older VFX and 3D pipelines.

Raster format from Silicon Graphics workstations
Uses .sgi, .rgb, or .rgba extensions
Mostly legacy; convert to PNG or TIFF

Where SGI images come from

The format dates to Silicon Graphics workstations that powered early film effects and 3D work. It stores RGB or RGBA channels and supports an optional run-length encoding to shrink files.

You may still encounter .sgi or .rgb textures in legacy 3D assets and archived production files.

Opening SGI files

Professional imaging and 3D tools can read SGI; general viewers often cannot. Convert to PNG or TIFF to keep an SGI texture in a current workflow.

Related terms

Keep reading the reference.

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