BPF File

What are BPF files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a BPF file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your BPF files.

What is a BPF file?

BPF files have multiple uses, and Binary Point File 3 is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Binary Point File 3

Binary Point File 3 files store unorganized collections of three-dimensional points along with optional per-point attributes, used primarily for LiDAR and similar 3D sensing data. A file is written by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) under the specification "Binary Point File 3" (also called BPF3) and is designed for efficient storage and interchange of large point clouds with flexible metadata.

Such files preserve every point's X, Y, Z coordinates and can carry extra information per point (for example reflectance, color, return number), plus metadata about the capturing system including sensor trajectory and error modelling. They accommodate optional compression (typically Zlib), and support both interleaved and non-interleaved storage layouts. Data producers use BPF3 after acquisition; downstream users might convert to other formats or manipulate attributes and metadata using compatible tools.

BPF3 files begin with an identifying ASCII signature "BPF!0003" at byte offset zero, which allows software to recognize version 3 of the format.

How to open BPF files

Important: Different programs may use files with the BPF file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your BPF file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested ten different BPF openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 24, 2026

All known file formats using extension .BPF

While Binary Point File 3 is a popular type of BPF-file, we know of 2 different uses of the .BPF file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

BrightAuthor Project

BrightAuthor Project files store presentations created for BrightSign digital signage players using BrightAuthor (also known as BrightAuthor Classic). These files define everything about how content, interactivity, and playback behave, including layout zones, media items (images, video, audio), schedules, user events, and device settings such as serial or UDP communication. Presentations are saved, edited, and published from BrightAuthor using these project files.

A BrightAuthor Project is created by BrightAuthor on a computer. Authors arrange media and settings in the editor, then save their work into a project file. To deploy the content, authors publish it to export all necessary assets (media, fonts, configuration) along with the project description so a BrightSign player can read and display it properly. Published content is transferred (for example via SD card or network) to a BrightSign unit, which reads the exported files and plays them as defined.

These project files are XML documents that begin with an UTF-8-encoded XML declaration. Inside are tags such as BrightAuthor version, model, monitor orientation, videoMode, imageMode, audio parameters, zones, states, playlists, events (serial, UDP, touch), and various device configuration items. Keywords found in the file include SERIALPORTCONFIGURATION, TOUCHCURSORDISPLAYMODE, ZONESPECIFICPARAMETERS, BACKGROUNDSCREENCOLOR, UDPDESTINATIONADDRESS, VIDEOCONNECTOR, VIDEO or IMAGEMODE, width, height, file, and name among others.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of BPF files. Remember, different programs may use BPF files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about BPF file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.