Image MIME Reference
Alias-PIX
Alias PIX Image
image/x-alias-pix
VS
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-rlc
EDMICS-RLC
A complete technical comparison of Alias PIX Image and Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.
Equal browser support
Feature Support
| Feature | Alias-PIX | EDMICS-RLC |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency (Alpha) | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Animation Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Progressive Loading | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| HDR Support | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| EXIF Metadata | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| ICC Color Profile | ✕ No | ✕ No |
Alias PIX Image
image/x-alias-pix
Extension
.pix.als.alias.img
Container
Alias PIX Header
Compression
Run-Length Encoding (RLE)
Algorithm
RLE
Color Depth
24-bit (RGB), 8-bit (Matte/Grayscale variant)
Developed by
Alias Research (Later Alias|Wavefront / Autodesk)
Released
Early 1990s
Magic Bytes
No explicit magic bytes (Relies on 10-byte integer header)
Fuji Xerox EDMICS-RLC
image/vnd.fujixerox.edmics-rlc
Extension
.rlc.edm
Container
Fuji Xerox EDMICS Wrapper
Compression
Run-Length Coding (RLC / RLE)
Algorithm
Run-Length Coding (RLC)
Color Depth
1-bit (Monochrome), 8-bit (Grayscale)
Developed by
Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
Released
1990s
Magic Bytes
Unknown (Proprietary Container)
Browser Support Comparison
| Browser | Alias-PIX | EDMICS-RLC |
|---|---|---|
Chrome
|
✕ | ✕ |
Firefox
|
✕ | ✕ |
Safari
|
✕ | ✕ |
Edge
|
✕ | ✕ |
IE (Legacy)
|
✕ | ✕ |
Alias-PIX
Alias-PIX Strengths
- The highly simplified structure made it incredibly fast to encode and decode on early 1990s SGI hardware
- Lossless Run-Length Encoding (RLE) saved disk space without degrading the quality of final 3D renders
Limitations
- Completely obsolete, having been replaced by more robust formats like TIFF, TGA, and EXR in modern 3D pipelines
- The lack of a distinct magic byte signature makes reliable automated file detection almost impossible
- Does not support integrated alpha channels, instead requiring cumbersome, separate 'Matte' files to denote transparency
EDMICS-RLC
EDMICS-RLC Strengths
- Simple, computationally inexpensive Run-Length Coding enabled rapid compression and decompression on low-power legacy hardware
- Deeply integrated into Fuji Xerox enterprise hardware for seamless, automated scan-to-archive workflows
Limitations
- Completely proprietary and closed-source, making modern archival extraction and migration extremely difficult
- No support in modern image processing libraries like ImageMagick, libvips, or standard viewers without bespoke decoding tools
- RLC compression is far less efficient than modern algorithms like PNG (Deflate) for complex documents
When to choose which format
Alias-PIX
Use Alias-PIX when…
- Legacy Alias PowerAnimator Textures
- 1990s SGI Workstation Render Outputs
- Historical 3D Graphics Archival
EDMICS-RLC
Use EDMICS-RLC when…
- Fuji Xerox EDMICS Enterprise Systems
- Archival of Scanned Engineering Documents
- Legacy Corporate Scanning Pipelines