A conversion shop gives you a Revit file. Setout gives you the building in 3D on the phone and web, built from a checked takeoff, with build-ups and quantities inside it.
At a glance
| Compared | CAD-to-BIM conversion | Setout |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverable | A Revit/IFC model | A 3D building in the app, with the takeoff |
| Who can use it | Someone with Revit at a desk | Anyone on the project, on a phone |
| Quantities | Not reviewed | Checked and traced to each sheet |
| Build-ups | Modeled walls | Exploded build-ups and build steps |
CAD-to-BIM conversion
CAD-to-BIM conversion is outsourced conversion of 2D drawings into a Revit model. Published pricing: About $8,000–$22,000 for a 5–15 storey building (a 2026 survey of conversion pricing).
Setout
- Priced per building, quoted from your drawing set, with your whole team included
- Your approved PDF set. No BIM or Revit model needed
- People who read drawings check every pass
- Every quantity opens on the sheet it came from
- The whole building in 3D on phone and web, with an exploded build-up for every wall and floor type
- Block with grout and rebar, steel by size and weight, concrete, doors from the schedule
- A buying order by floor and stage
- Anything the drawings leave open is withheld and asked, never shown as zero
Which fits you
Convert to BIM if your designers will keep working in Revit. Use Setout if you want to build from the model.
Sources, checked October 3, 2026: Built in BIM, CAD to BIM conversion cost (2026). Pricing and features change; tell us if something here is out of date and we'll fix it.