For contracting & design firms
Your old drawings are worth money.
AI companies and licensors are actively licensing historical CAD and construction files. Recent valuations have ranged from $100K up to $2 million. Years of plans sitting on a hard drive could become new capital for your business.
Why this matters
Your work built this country. Your data should pay you too.
Proprietary datasets are a new kind of asset — one many small firms already own without knowing it. Demand is urgent right now: licensors say some CAD needs must be filled within 24–48 hours.
Who licensors want
- ■Engineering & architecture firms
- ■CNC & manufacturing shops
- ■Product design companies
- ■General & specialty contractors with years of drawings and revisions
What to prepare
- File formats
- DXF, DWG, NC1, PDF drawings, etc.
- Volume
- Number of files and total file size
- History
- How many years of records you have
- Samples
- A few real sample files to show quality
What you need to have
Your file breakdown
AI companies and licensors start with a high-level count of your archive: how many files of each type, how big they are, and what years they cover. Counts only — no file names, project names, client names, or people's names. The numbers come from a simple scan of file names, sizes, and last-modified dates; nothing is opened. An AI assistant can run the scan and fill it in for you.
Files
Every file with that extension, including copies. Example: 48,900 DWG files.
Unique files
Files counted once per name + size. A drawing copied into 10 project folders counts once. Usually 40–90% of total files.
Size (GB)
Total size of those files in gigabytes.
Earliest / latest year
Oldest and newest last-modified year for that file type.
Native model count
Tekla: number of model folders. Revit: number of .rvt files.
Distinct models
Model names counted once. Revit backups like Tower.0001.rvt and Tower.0002.rvt count as one model.
Example only — made-up numbers for a mid-size structural engineering firm
394,500 files · 985 GB · 2006–2026
| Category | Format | Files | Unique | Size (GB) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD drawings | DWG — AutoCAD drawing | 48,900 | 30,318 | 45.37 | 2006–2026 |
| CAD drawings | DXF — AutoCAD exchange | 15,700 | 10,833 | 9.20 | 2007–2026 |
| BIM models | IFC — BIM model | 6,480 | 3,694 | 151.88 | 2012–2026 |
| BIM models | RVT — Revit model | 2,850 | 1,112 | 403.56 | 2013–2026 |
| Tekla Structures | DB1 — model database | 1,310 | 1,205 | 108.74 | 2009–2026 |
| Tekla Structures | DG — Tekla drawing | 96,400 | 68,444 | 16.95 | 2009–2026 |
| Fabrication data | NC1 — DSTV NC file | 39,800 | 26,268 | 0.39 | 2010–2026 |
| Documents | PDF — drawing or document | 71,250 | 41,325 | 97.41 | 2006–2026 |
| Other | Images, Office files, other formats | 111,340 | 90,342 | 141.42 | 2006–2026 |
| Total | 394,500 | 273,544 | 985.38 | 2006–2026 |
Also count your native models: Tekla model folders (example: 1,310 folders, 1,164 distinct) and Revit project models (example: 2,850 files, 1,105 distinct). Quick check: the totals should match across your summary, by-format, and by-year lists.
Estimate your payout
What could your files be worth?
Licenses are valued per file. Enter the number of files in your archive to see a rough estimate at $12 per file.
—
Rough estimate only. Actual offers depend on file types, quality, years covered, and what licensors need right now.
From folder to payout
01 · 1 min
Get started
Create an account and describe your files.
02 · ~1 hour
Your company
Build your file manifest and upload samples.
03 · 3–7 days
Get your offer
Licensors review and make a valuation.
04 · Net 30–60
Get paid
Payment lands after the deal closes.
Protect yourself before you license
- 1The data licensing company strips names, addresses, and security details (alarm, access, structural vulnerabilities) before sharing.
- 2Read the license: is it a one-time sale, exclusive, or non-exclusive? Can you still use your own files?
- 3Get the price and payment terms in writing before handing over full datasets.
- 4Talk to an attorney.
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Valuation ranges and timelines come from Ventra's materials and are not guaranteed. This site is educational and not legal or financial advice.