CAD drawings and BIM models from completed projects
Where your firm holds the rights, with client, site and owner identifiers removed.
AutoCADRevitCivil 3DMicroStationTekla
For engineering, architecture, construction & manufacturing firms
Sell your engineering firm's data to AI: license CAD, BIM and project archives, not your designs
Short answer: Yes. Engineering, architecture, construction and manufacturing firms can license records from completed work, such as drawing sets, CAD and BIM models, RFIs, submittals, change orders, specifications and QA or inspection records, to AI developers when the firm holds the rights under its client agreements. Defence and controlled-goods work, client-owned deliverables and current designs or pricing stay out, and personal information is removed before any buyer samples the records.
AI developers training models on technical work want real project records: drawing sets, CAD and BIM models, RFIs, markups, change orders and the QA trail behind them. Buyers that ask for CAD say file counts and complete sample projects matter more than headcount. We help firms confirm what they hold the rights to, keep defence, client-owned and current work out, and reach the buyers asking for it.
Last updated · Sources linked inline · Buyer figures as published, observed Oct 16, 2026 (micro1, Mercor and GDC re-checked Nov 3, 2026)
Free to start. No files or logins needed.
How does licensing work for an engineering, construction or manufacturing firm?
In four steps, with no cost to start: share the basics, scope what the firm owns, get matched to buyers whose published criteria fit, then sign directly with the buyer, who pays you.
Tell us the basics
Headcount, years of records and the systems you use. No files, no logins, no client names.
We map what's yours
We check client and consultant agreements for ownership and reuse of drawings and models, screen out defence, controlled-goods and security-sensitive work, and set aside current designs and pricing.
We match you to buyers
Only programs whose published criteria fit an engineering, construction or manufacturing firm of your size, location and record language.
You sign with the buyer
The buyer handles de-identification under a written agreement and pays your firm directly. You keep your originals.
What records do AI buyers want from engineering, architecture, construction and manufacturing firms?
The project records and archives buyers ask for: AI developers value the back-and-forth of real projects as much as the final drawings: how a design was checked, questioned, changed and built.
Mechanical CAD and manufacturing records
Part and assembly models, drawings, work orders, spec sheets and QA logs, where you own the designs.
SolidWorksInventorCATIAFusion 360
RFIs, submittals, markups and change orders
How questions get raised, answered and resolved on real projects.
BluebeamProcoreAutodesk Construction CloudNewforma
Specifications and calculation packages
Firm templates and checked calcs that show engineering judgment.
WordExcelMathcad
Inspection, commissioning and QA/QC records
Checklists, punch lists, test results and review comments.
ProcoreSharePointDeltek
Project correspondence and minutes
Coordination history between disciplines, de-identified.
OutlookTeamsNavisworks
File types buyers recognize
AutoCAD .dwg / .dxfRevit .rvt / .rfaIFC (open BIM)Navisworks .nwd / .nwcSTEP .step / .stpSolidWorks .sldprt / .sldasmInventor .ipt / .iamCATIA .CATPartTekla modelsPDF drawing setsRFIs and submittalsChange ordersInspection and QA logsWork orders and spec sheets
The more you can tell a buyer up front (file counts by type, years covered, disciplines, and one to three complete sample projects under NDA), the faster you get a real answer. Polyshares' co-founder says intake with samples and file counts is what wins offers, and that CAD has "no minimum head count" (post, post; self-reported, verify). How to prepare your records →
Which AI buyers accept engineering, architecture, construction and manufacturing firms, and what do they pay?
Buyer programs that list technical, industrial or project records. Public terms only. Size, location and language rules differ by program, so eligibility is confirmed buyer by buyer.
| Buyer | What they publish | Who they say qualifies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| The General Data Company | No amounts published; payment follows milestones agreed in writing. As published · verify | Industrial companies' records: technical drawings, CAD models, change requests, commissioning, inspection and maintenance records, and project files, including companies no longer trading. Says current designs and prices stay with the company. | Buyer page checked directly Nov 3, 2026 |
| Mercor | No amounts published; says it charges no fees or costs and pays by wire when the anonymized dataset is delivered, typically 2–4 weeks after signing. Payout rises with the number of tools connected. As published · verify | Target industries include legal, healthcare, finance and insurance, professional services, manufacturing, retail, real estate and logistics. Its CEO's Oct 23, 2026 post targets companies with 100+ employees and data in code, gaming, manufacturing, healthcare or professional services. | Buyer page checked directly Nov 3, 2026 CEO post, Oct 23, 2026 |
| micro1 | Says it pays $100K to $3M+ (tiers: $100K–$500K, $500K–$3M, and $3M+ for highly unique data). Payment within 30 days of invoicing, after a 30-day review of the delivered data. As published · verify | 30+ full-time employees, mature operations, records primarily in English. Prioritizes US companies, then other Western markets; says current demand is strongest for companies based in the US, UK and Canada. Licenses only to US and allied-country labs and enterprises. | Buyer page checked directly Nov 3, 2026 |
| Labelbox (Prism) | From about $50K to $1M+ per licence; exclusive by default. As published · verify | Companies with real-world operational data. | Buyer page via Who Sells Data register, observed Oct 16, 2026 |
| Turing (Project Lazarus) | A single payment of up to $1M, confirmed after sampling (usually within a week). As published · verify | Operating, winding-down or closed companies. Wants communications, tickets, wikis and databases; code alone doesn't qualify. | Buyer page via Who Sells Data register, observed Oct 16, 2026 |
| Polyshares | $100K to $2M+ per licence; Net 30–60 after approval and delivery. As published · verify | Companies in any sector. | Buyer page via Who Sells Data register, observed Oct 16, 2026 |
Amounts are each buyer's own published ranges, ceilings or tiers, not offers, and they change. Most buyers are US companies and don't always state a currency, so confirm it in writing. Size, location and language rules differ by buyer. Buyer names describe their public programs only. How the process works.
The line for engineering, architecture, construction and manufacturing firms
What can't an engineering, construction or manufacturing firm license?
Check who owns the drawings first, and screen out controlled work. In design and manufacturing, the first questions are ownership and export control, not just privacy.
- Client and consultant agreements. Agreements often say who owns drawings, models and reports and whether they can be reused. We read yours and scope only what the firm has the right to license.
- Defence and controlled goods. Technical data tied to defence articles or controlled goods is excluded outright. In the US that includes ITAR- and EAR-controlled technical data; in Canada, blueprints and specifications for controlled goods fall under the Controlled Goods Program. If you're unsure whether a project qualifies, it stays out.
- Third-party content. Manufacturer models, purchased block libraries and other vendors' files usually come with their own licence terms, so they're excluded unless those terms allow it.
- Professional codes. Engineering and architecture regulators' codes of ethics include duties about clients' confidential information. Check yours with your regulator or counsel.
- Privacy law. Owner, tenant, occupant and staff details in project files are personal information under the privacy law where you and your clients operate. They are removed before sampling.
Sources: US State Department: ITAR · US Commerce (BIS): Export Administration Regulations · Canada: Controlled Goods Program · The General Data Company: data partnerships · Mercor: data partnerships
Never included, for any engineering, construction or manufacturing firm
- Defence, ITAR/EAR-controlled, controlled-goods and security-classified drawings or data
- Active projects, current designs, pricing and bids
- Deliverables your client owns outright, and anything under an NDA
- Vendor and manufacturer files you don't hold rights to
- Site security plans and building access details
- Owner, tenant and occupant personal information, and staff HR files
General information, not legal advice. The rules depend on where your firm and its clients are; we ask every firm to confirm scope with its own counsel or regulator before signing. Jurisdiction notes: privacy & compliance hub.
What does a typical engineering, construction or manufacturing firm deal look like?
An illustrative case: a 60-person structural and civil firm with 15 years of completed projects in AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam and Deltek. Client agreements are checked for ownership; defence, security-sensitive and client-owned work is excluded. The licensable set is de-identified drawing sets, RFIs, change orders and calc packages from completed projects, described by file counts per type with two sample projects under NDA. Buyers' published tiers put a firm this size around $100K–$500K per licence (micro1's first published tier), and The General Data Company explicitly lists technical drawings and CAD models.
Illustrative only. Bands come from buyers' published tiers; not an offer or a valuation.
Do manufacturers and fabricators qualify too?
Yes, where the company owns the designs and records. Mercor lists manufacturing among its target industries, naming work orders, QA logs and spec sheets, and its CEO's Oct 23, 2026 post names manufacturing among the data types it wants from companies with 100+ employees (Mercor, post; as published, verify). The General Data Company licenses industrial companies' operating records, including technical drawings, CAD models, change requests and commissioning records, and says current designs, prices and anything a competitor could use remain with the company (GDC; as published, verify).
Build-to-print work for a customer, where the customer owns the drawings, is usually out. Your own product lines, internal tooling and process records are usually the cleanest scope.
What do engineering, construction and manufacturing firms ask?
Do we own our drawings and models?
Often the client agreement decides. We review it with you and flag anything unclear for counsel. Work your client owns outright stays out.
Will a competitor end up with our designs?
Licences are for AI training, and some buyers let you exclude current designs and pricing. The General Data Company, for example, says current designs and prices stay with the company. Ask for use restrictions in writing.
Is CAD and BIM data really in demand?
Several buyers list technical drawings, CAD models, change requests and project documentation among the records they want, and Mercor lists manufacturing work orders, QA logs and spec sheets (as published, checked Nov 3, 2026).
Is our firm too small?
For CAD, maybe not. Polyshares' co-founder says CAD has no minimum head count (self-reported on X, verify), while other programs publish staff minimums. Archive depth, completeness and samples carry a lot of weight. See is my firm big enough?
What about defence or controlled-goods projects?
They are excluded entirely, along with ITAR- or EAR-controlled technical data and anything security-classified. Our intake form asks about this first so it can be scoped out.
Which file formats matter?
Native formats (.dwg, .rvt, .ifc, .step, .sldprt and similar) plus the PDF sets, RFIs and change orders that show how a project evolved. A count per file type is the most useful thing to have ready.
What does it cost?
Nothing to start. The estimate and the first call are free, and any terms are set out in writing before you sign anything.
Which guides help engineering, construction and manufacturing firms?
Start with the pillar guide: how to license your firm's records to AI.
What could your project archive be worth?
Three answers give you a rough range based on what buyers publish. The rest helps a buyer take you seriously: every question after step 1 is optional. No files, logins or client names.