Today, the BIM Architecture Training Network will provide an overview of the development history of several leading BIM software platforms from abroad. While the content is limited, we welcome your contributions to supplement it. In China, BIM development has generally been ongoing since 2002. Currently, there is no proprietary BIM platform software in China, so we will not provide a detailed introduction here. We hope that domestic construction software manufacturers will soon join the competition in developing core BIM software, helping to promote the advancement of BIM both in China and worldwide.
Revit Timeline:
1982 – Autodesk Corporation was established.
1983 – Autodesk released AutoCAD version 1.2.
1989 – Parametric Technology launched the first version of Pro/ENGINEER.
1992 – Autodesk released AutoCAD 12 DOS version, which became the standard CAD software for AutoCAD; synonyms emerged.
1997 – Charles River Software Company was founded, with its core R&D team coming from Parametric Technology. The company later changed its name to Revit Technology Corporation.
2002 – Autodesk acquired Revit Technology for $133 million, making Revit its flagship architectural product and freeing it from the limitations of the two-decade-old DWG file format on the AutoCAD platform.
2008 – Revit 2009 was released, featuring significant improvements to modeling and rendering engines.
Bentley Timeline:
1985 – Keith Bentley founded Bentley Systems.
1986 – Architect Erik De Keyser developed Bricsnet’s initial architectural modeling software on IBM UNIX.
1987 – MicroStation was released, enabling editing of IGDS files. Intergraph acquired a 50% stake in Bentley.
1987 – Bentley introduced the DGN file format.
1995 – Bentley developed advanced solid modeling capabilities in MicroStation and released MicroStation 95 for the Windows platform.
1996 – MicroStation/J V7 was released.
1997 – After acquiring Bricsnet’s architectural modeling software, Bentley developed it into the core technology of MicroStation TriForma, releasing its first BIM application on MicroStation.
2002 – MicroStation V8 was released.
2007 – Generative Components was launched, allowing users to build models using programming languages.
2008 – MicroStation V8i BIM software was released, enabling real-time building plan, elevation, section, and clipping plan views.
ArchiCAD Timeline:
1982 – Development of ArchiCAD began in Budapest, Hungary.
1987 – ArchiCAD was released. It is considered the first 2D/3D CAD drawing software designed for personal computers and is recognized as the first BIM software product.
2007 – Nemetschek AG, a German CAD software company, acquired Graphisoft.
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