HydroCAD File Types
HydroCAD uses several different file types, as listed below. All files use plain ASCII format, which may be viewed by clicking the sample links below.
|
Icon & File Type |
Extension | Description |
 HydroCADProject |
.HCP | Contains all basic data for a single HydroCAD project sample |
 HydrographFile |
.HCE | Import/Export hydrographs used by some projects sample |
 UnitHydrograph |
.HUH | Unit Hydrograph definitions (generally preinstalled) sample |
 RainfallCurve |
.HCR | Rainfall distributions (generally preinstalled) sample |
 IDFCurve |
.HCI | IDF Curves (user-defined) sample |
 UnitsDefinition |
.HCU | Units definitions (English/US & Metric are preinstalled) sample |
 PrefabChamber |
.HCC | Data for prefabricated storage chambers. sample |
The HydroCAD setup program always associates the .HCP extension with HydroCAD, so that project files appear with the correct icon and can be launched directly from Windows. HydroCAD-7 (and later) also creates associations for the other extensions so they can easily opened in HydroCAD or a text editor. In the event of conflicts with other applications, specific associations can be prevented by selecting "Custom Installation" within the setup program.
For specific details on each file format (including instructions for creating custom files) please see the HydroCAD help system, which is included with all HydroCAD programs, including the HydroCAD Sampler.
Import/Export Formats
HydroCAD can import and export data in a number of industry-standard file formats as listed below. HydroCAD does not make any system changes for these file extensions.
|
Icon & File Type |
Extension | Description |
 TextFile |
.TXT | Standard text file. Used for data export and various pre-installed lookup tables and data files. OK for tabular data, although a CSV format is often preferred. sample |
| Comma Separated Values | .CSV | A common format for importing or exporting data to a spreadsheet or database. Excellent for tabular data. |
| Bitmap | .BMP | Bit-mapped graphic file that can be used with most image-editing and paint programs. Very common file format, but generally produces large files with low resolution that re-scale poorly. EMF is preferable for most applications. |
| Enhanced Meta File | .EMF | Good format for exporting graphical and tabular reports. Produces a compact file that can include text and scalable vector graphics. Files are readily imbedded in most word processing documents, and rescale to any size without jagged lines or loss of image quality. |
| Windows Meta File | .WMF | An earlier version of EMF, provided for backward compatibility. |
| Joint Photographic Experts Group | .JPEG .JPG |
A compressed bit-map file. Produces much smaller file sizes for photographic images, but introduces artifacts when used for line drawing or computer graphics. |