Extract text from Hydrograph unit definitions (HCU)
To convert HCU Definitions to another format, you need HydroCAD or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Configuration File" file type, you need software like HydroCAD or a similar tool.
The .hcu file is a Hydrograph Units Definitions File utilized exclusively by HydroCAD, a specialized stormwater modeling software system. These files store essential configuration data that dictates the measurement units - such as flow rate, volume, elevation, and time - used to calculate and display hydrograph routing models.
A major disadvantage of the .hcu format is its closed, proprietary nature. It requires an active installation of HydroCAD to be interpreted and applied correctly. The file is not supported by standard web browsers, document readers, or spreadsheet software. This creates a bottleneck when engineers need to share unit parameters or collaborate with team members who do not have a paid license for the software.
Users often need to convert or extract data from .hcu files to document modeling assumptions, standardize engineering reports, or audit unit configurations outside the native software. The best target formats for data extraction are plain TXT or CSV, though the complex proprietary data structures will not translate into a ready-to-use spreadsheet without manual clean-up.
Because this is a closed engineering format, standard online converters routinely fail to process it. Often, only the original software can properly read or export the structured data. If our analysis detects standard embedded text strings, viewing or partial conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your HCU file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted HCI, HCE and HUH files.
If you want to convert HCU file to , you can use HydroCAD or similar software from the "Stormwater Unit Configurations" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to HCU, try HydroCAD or another comparable tool in the "Stormwater Unit Configurations" 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 HCU converter.