[Prev] [Up] [Next]   (Last updated 30th March 1998 by DRH)
PIXIE - Tiny pictures for the web

WARNING: Your browser does not have Java enabled, so you are looking at the JPEG, not the Pixie image. You need to have a Java-capable browser to see the Pixie samples on this and other pages.

More about Pixie

Pixie is a vector image file format. This means it can be scaled without losing quality. The picture at the top of this page is the same file as on the Pixie front page, scaled down.

Because it is scalable, Pixie can represent many kinds of picture more compactly then .GIF or .JPG. It's especially good for diagrams and line drawing, and especially poor at photos. Pixie was designed specifically for the World Wide Web. It's a very compact format so that it downloads quickly. Did you notice how quick it was?

Pixie is not a drawing program. You create your images using some other application, then save them in a format which Pixie understands (for example, as a Windows Metafile), then convert it into the Pixie format. You then use a small Java applet to display the Pixie file on your web page.

The Java applet is itself quite small - about 6k - and only has to be downloaded for first Pixie image on a site. If you came to this page from the Pixie front page, you may have noticed that this page displayed quicker. That is because your browser will have cached both the Java applet and the image file.

Pixie is free. There is no charge for either viewer applet or file converter. However, both programs are provided as-is. You are responsible for determining whether they are suitable for your purpose. Burry Holms Research accepts no liability whatsoever. For more details, see the license agreement.

If you like Pixie, you should check out PixieSlide, an extended version of Pixie that supports slide shows and ImageMaps. If you can program in Java, you may be interested in the Pixie source code.

For any further information, to report bugs or request new features, please send email to pixie@bhresearch.co.uk.


[Prev] [Up] [Next]   (Last updated 30th March 1998 by DRH)