pop 

POP File Extension

Have a problem opening a .POP file? We collect information about file formats and can explain what POP files are. Additionally we recommend software suitable for opening or converting such files.

What is the .POP file type?

The .pop extension is frequently encountered in connection with Samsung portable media player devices, being linked to the 'Popcorn Character' (POP) file type. POP is used for simple animated graphics displayed on a device's screen in certain modes.

A POP file is a 24-bit RGB color bitmap (Windows BMP) image 40 by 40 (1600) pixels in size. One 'Popcorn Character' consists of four .pop files (named 'My popcon_[1..4].pop') displayed in a looped sequence, creating a crude animation effect. To use a custom 'Popcorn Character,' one has to upload all four .pop files to the 'Popcorn' subfolder on a device and select the 'User Popcorn' option.



The .pop extension is also an abbreviation of 'Population' and is often used to denote various data files created and used by a number of population analysis applications. Population describes distribution and density of certain individual objects over a pre-defined area as a function of time and/or other variables.

In most cases, generic population files (.pop) are XML-based plaintext files containing population definition statements in an application-specific syntax. Such .pop files are used by several population simulators in genetics, demography etc. like simuPOP, PyPop and others.


In video gaming, the .pop extension can be found in Team Fortress 2 (TF2) population script files (.pop). TF2 is a popular team multiplayer 3D computer game in the FPS shooter genre built around the idea of a man-vs-machine war. TF2 .pop files are plaintext files that contain customizable enemy unit population (spawning) scripts, extensively commented for editing purposes.


The .pop extension can also be assigned to population instance cache files (.pop) created and used by the Populator tool within Terragen, a landscape generation software with photorealistic rendering by Planetside Software. Terragen automatically caches all calculated object distribution (population) instances into .pop files, so as to avoid redundant calculations every time a project is opened.


In relation to the (outdated) dBase family, the .pop extension used to and may still be assigned to Visual dBase popup menu files. A Visual dBase popup menu (.pop) is a plaintext file with a set of class definitions that define a popup class and bind it to a certain form and/or control.



Software to open or convert POP files

You can open POP files with the following programs: 

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