Extract text from BattleTech 'Mech designs (BMI)
To convert BMI Mech designs to another format, you need MechCommander 2 or other Game software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Unit Configuration" file type, you need software like MechCommander 2 or a similar tool.
The .BMI file format primarily functions as a BattleTech 'Mech Info file, utilized by legacy software like BattleMech Designer and the game MechCommander 2 to store technical specifications, weapon loadouts, and armor configurations for in-game mechs. A secondary, less common use (under 1% of files) is as a compiled 3ds Max Plug-in file for Autodesk 3ds Max, which extends the 3D software's core capabilities.
The main disadvantage of the .BMI format is its highly proprietary and obsolete nature. BattleMech Designer and MechCommander 2 are legacy applications, making the files nearly impossible to open natively on modern operating systems without emulation or specialized fan-made tools. As a closed, proprietary format, standard online converters fail to process it because it contains structured binary or specific delimited text unique to the BattleTech engine, rather than generic document or image data. Additionally, 3ds Max plugins are compiled code, making them completely unconvertible into visual 3D models.
Users typically want to convert the game data variants to modern, human-readable formats like JSON, XML, or TXT to extract the mech stats for modern tabletop tools or wiki databases. Because this file format is difficult to open or convert, often only the original software can properly read or export the data.
However, convert.guru offers a pragmatic workaround. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format - such as raw configuration text strings hidden in the code - viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your BMI file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted BMP, OBJ, FBX and SHP files.
If you want to convert BMI file to DLL, SO, DYLIB, BUNDLE, PLUGIN, XPI, CRX, SAFARIEXTZ, APPEX, KEXT, SYS or DRV, you can use MechCommander 2 or similar software from the "Game Loadout Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LV2, DYLIB, VST, AAX, DRV, TDE, LADSPA, BUNDLE, AU, DLL, RTAS or SO files to BMI, try MechCommander 2 or another comparable tool in the "Game Loadout Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our BMI converter.