What Is a BM2 File?

Subspace Continuum graphic files are used in games

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on January 9, 2023

What to Know

  • Some BM2 files are graphic files used by Subspace Continuum. Open one with Photoshop.
  • Others are lesson boards created and used by Boardmaker.
  • Use those same programs to convert a BM2 file.

This article explains the two file formats that use the BM2 file extension, including how to open and convert both types.

What Is a BM2 File?

A file with the BM2 file extension is a Subspace Continuum graphic file, which is actually just a renamed BMP file. They're typically used for textures and other images within the game.

BM2 is also used as the extension for interactive board files that store activities and lessons used by Boardmaker. Other Boardmaker files are in the ZIP or ZBP format because they're archives used for holding multiple boards in one file.

Screenshot of several BM2 files in Windows 10 that open with Adobe Photoshop
BM2 Files.

How to Open a BM2 File

BM2 images can be opened with nearly any program that can open BMP files. This includes the Windows Paint program, Adobe Photoshop, and others.

Since most programs probably don't associate themselves with BM2 files, you probably need to rename the file from .BM2 to .BMP to make it easier to open it. Know, however, that you can't normally rename a file's extension and expect it to work as if it were in a different format. It only works here because the file is really a BMP file.

Boardmaker is used to open board files used by that software. These files may have quizzes and other lessons that are made specifically for students that have special needs.

Depending on your version of Boardmaker, you might have to import the BM2, ZIP, or ZBP file through New > Project from Boardmaker Import. This should only be the case if you're using Boardmaker Studio to open boards from Boardmaker or Boardmaker Plus v5 or v6.

If you find that a program on your computer does try to open the file, but it's the wrong program, or if you'd rather have a different program you have installed open it by default, change the file association in Windows.

How to Convert a BM2 File

We don't know of any specific conversion tools that can save a BM2 file to another image file type, but since this format is really just BMP spelled with the .BM2 file extension, you can, as mentioned above, just rename the file so it has the .BMP extension instead.

Then, if you want the new .BMP file to be in a different image format, use a free image converter to save it to JPG, PNG, TIF, or whatever other formats you'd like it in. One quick way to do that is with FileZigZag since you can convert the file online without having to download any software.

Although we haven't verified this ourselves, we're pretty sure Boardmaker files can be converted to other similar formats. This is most likely done through a File > Save As or File > Save Project As menu, or maybe something similar like an Export or Convert button.

Still Can't Open It?

If your file isn't opening with any of those suggestions, you might be misreading the file extension and confusing a BMK (BillMinder Backup), BML (Bean Markup Language), BMD (MU Online Game Data), or another file with similar letters, with a BM2 file.

FAQ
  • What is a DIB file?

    Device-Independent Bitmap Graphic files, or DIB files, are another type of bitmap image format. Most programs that open BMP files will open DIB files. DIB files can be converted to other image formats.

  • What are Boardmaker symbols?

    Boardmaker includes a collection of 45,0000 picture symbols to help students with disabilities communicate. The symbols are standardized and commonly used for students with speech and language disorders.

  • How do I add images to Boardmaker?

    Drag and drop the image from a saved file or web page. To add images to your symbol library, go to the Symbol Finder and select File > Import. Boardmaker supports BMP, EMF, GIF, JPG, and PNG files.

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