You have gigabytes of CAD drawings, BIM models, and project files on your hard drive. Canceled contracts. Competitions you never won. Projects that were never built. Most architects see this as digital clutter.
The truth: Tech companies are actively paying for exactly this data. AI systems need real building datasets to learn from, and your “dead” files are exactly what they’re looking for.
We all know this reality: Overtime without pay. Projects that got canceled after you invested weeks. Clients who paid late or never at all. The industry has profited from your unpaid labor for decades.
Now there’s a way to reclaim at least some of that. Not through more work, but through work you’ve already done.
Let’s address the biggest concern first: Yes, you’re allowed to do this. As the creator, you retain copyright on your drawings. As long as you remove personal data (names, addresses, sensitive client info), sharing anonymized project data is completely legal.
The files are used for AI training, not to rebuild your design somewhere else. Your intellectual property stays protected.
➡️ Learn more about data security
This isn’t marketing speak. AI companies are investing billions in construction technology. But their algorithms can only be as good as the data they’re trained on.
What they need: Real floor plans. Real sections. Real BIM models from real buildings, with all their complexities and solutions. Exactly what’s sitting on your hard drive.
You don’t need to clean anything up. No renaming layers. No reformatting drawings. The AI cares about the geometry and relationships in your files, not perfect layer structures.
Uploading a project takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove names, zip the files, upload. That’s it.
➡️ Submit your first project now
We understand the skepticism. The industry has taught us to be wary when someone promises money. Too often, architects have been disappointed.
CADpay pays up to €10 per approved building dataset. Payouts happen weekly via bank transfer or digital payment. No hidden conditions. No waiting for arbitrary milestones.
You don’t need to be a firm owner. No minimum number of projects. No certifications required. If you have CAD or BIM files from building projects you own the rights to, you can participate.
Especially interesting for students: Those semester projects that won awards but never earned a cent? They’re valuable too.
AutoCAD, Revit, ArchiCAD, Allplan, Vectorworks. Whatever software you use. The platform accepts all common formats and automatically converts them if needed.
Older file versions are no problem either. Your 2015 project in an old Revit version? It works.
➡️ View supported formats
Important: You’re not transferring rights. You’re licensing a copy of your data for research and development purposes. The original stays yours. The terms of use explicitly prohibit directly rebuilding your design.
Data buyers are interested in aggregated learning, not copying individual designs.
AI is coming to architecture whether we participate or not. The only question is: Will it be trained on high-quality, architect-created data? Or on low-quality sources without professional input?
By contributing your data, you ensure the AI tools of tomorrow reflect professional standards. And you get paid for it.
This is the crucial difference from freelance platforms like Upwork: You’re not trading time for money. You’re monetizing what already exists. No new drawings. No client meetings. No revision loops.
One architect uploaded 8 old projects in an afternoon and earned €80. For work that was long finished.
➡️ Start earning passively now
Every month your old files sit unused is wasted potential. You’ve already invested countless hours. Late nights, weekends, unpaid overtime. That work has value.
The only question is: Will you claim that value? Or will you let those files keep gathering digital dust?
🏗️ The first architects and engineers are already using CADpay. The only question is whether you’ll join them.
The earlier you submit, the more projects you can monetize before others catch on.
