HIP Converter

Extract text from HIP files

Select File
Drop or upload your .HIP file

Online File Converter

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How to extract text from your HIP file

Click the "Select File" button above, and choose your HIP file.
You’ll see a preview, if available.
Click the "Convert file to..." button to extract text information.

Convert HIP to another file type

To convert your HIP file to another format, you need SideFX Houdini or other 3D software.

HIP to OBJ
HIP to FBX
HIP to DAE
HIP to 3DS
HIP to MAX
HIP to BLEND
HIP to MA
HIP to MB
HIP to C4D
HIP to STL
HIP to PLY
HIP to WRL

Convert a file to HIP

To convert other file formats to the "3D Scene File" file type, you need software like SideFX Houdini or a similar tool.

DWG to HIP
DAE to HIP
X3D to HIP
IGES to HIP
WRL to HIP
JT to HIP
SKP to HIP
3DS to HIP
3DM to HIP
OBJ to HIP
STEP to HIP
FBX to HIP

About HIP files

The .hip extension is a dual-purpose format most commonly serving as the native project file for SideFX Houdini, a procedural 3D animation and VFX software. These binary files store complex node networks, geometry, lighting, and simulation data. While powerful, .hip files act as a proprietary container; they require a licensed installation of Houdini to view or render, and file sizes can balloon rapidly due to cached simulation data. A specific frustration for users is the licensing tier lock: .hip files created in the commercial version differ from hipnc (Non-Commercial) files, often preventing direct conversion or opening in paid pipelines without specific licenses.

Alternatively, a .hip file may be a game asset archive created by Heavy Iron Studios for titles like SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom or The Incredibles. These are proprietary packages containing textures, models, and audio. They are not standard ZIP files and cannot be opened by WinRAR or 7-Zip.

Conversion Recommendations:

For 3D/VFX (Houdini): To use assets in other software like Blender or Maya, you must export the geometry to OBJ, FBX, or USD (Universal Scene Description) from within Houdini. For archiving or review, render the scene to MP4 video or EXR image sequences.
For Game Modding: Use specialized extraction scripts (like QuickBMS) to unpack the .hip archive into editable components like WAV audio or standard image formats.

Convert.Guru analyzes your HIP file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.

Users also converted HIPS, HIF, VDB, HSD and 3DS files.

The HIP Converter Story

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 HIP converter.