Help One file. Every device.
A .apexobrush is a plain ZIP archive — the manifest, the stamp shape, an optional grain texture and a thumbnail, and nothing device-specific. That is the whole trick, and it is why the same pack imports on iPad, Mac and Android.
Readable files, not an opaque binary.
Most brush formats are containers you cannot look inside. A
.apexobrush extracts with any ZIP tool: rename a copy
to .zip, open it, and every part of the brush is an
ordinary file you can read.
The manifest.json carries the brush configuration —
spacing, pressure and tilt response, jitter, taper. The images
carry the character: the stamp that repeats along your stroke and
the grain that shows through it. Import the archive from the brush
library inside Apex Olira and the app reads all of it directly;
you never unzip anything to use a pack.
Palettes work the same way with less ceremony:
a .apexcolors file is plain JSON.
To use it
Download the file, open Apex Olira, and import it from the brush library. Same steps on iPad, Mac and Android.
To inspect it
Rename a copy to .zip and extract. Keep the
original untouched — the app wants the real extension.
If it will not import
Nearly always the browser renamed or unzipped it on the way down. Work through the fixes in order — five of six take under a minute.
The format, answered.
What is a .apexobrush file?
A .apexobrush file is a brush pack for Apex Olira (Apex O). It is a plain ZIP archive containing a manifest.json plus the brush images — the stamp shape, an optional grain texture, and a thumbnail. Because nothing inside it is device-specific, the same file imports identically on iPad, Mac and Android.
How do I open a .apexobrush file?
To use it: import it from the brush library inside Apex Olira — the app reads the archive directly, no unzipping needed. To inspect it: make a copy, rename the copy from .apexobrush to .zip, and extract it like any archive. You will find the manifest and the brush images as ordinary readable files.
My .apexobrush downloaded as a .zip — is it broken?
No. Some browsers and most email clients recognise the ZIP container and rename the file on arrival. Rename it back so it ends in .apexobrush and it will import normally. If your browser extracted it into a folder, re-download it and choose to keep the original file.
Can other apps like Procreate or Krita open a .apexobrush?
Not directly — every drawing app has its own brush format, in both directions. But because a .apexobrush is a plain archive, its stamp and grain textures extract as ordinary images, which is more than can be said for most brush formats. What survives a move between any two apps is the textures, never the settings.
What is a .apexcolors file?
The palette equivalent: a colour palette for Apex Olira, stored as plain JSON. Like brushes, palettes import from inside the app and the same file works on every platform.
Every pack in the brush studio ships in this format, free and Pro alike, with a commercial licence for the artwork you make.