What Design Master Software does

Design Master Software, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned developer of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) engineering design software for Autodesk's AutoCAD and Revit platforms. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, the company has operated for 25 years under President David Robison without disclosed institutional investment. Its product portfolio comprises six core add-ins: ElectroBIM (electrical design for Revit), FireBIM (fire alarm design for Revit, currently in beta), DM Electrical, DM HVAC, DM Photometrics, and DM Plumbing (for AutoCAD). The company's core technical proposition is native BIM/CAD integration that synchronizes single-line diagrams, calculations, and the building model directly inside Revit without imports, links, or syncs — eliminating manual duplication errors and enabling electrical design iteration in minutes rather than days.

The company's products serve MEP engineering firms and electrical contractors and consultants, with documented productivity outcomes including a claimed 50% reduction in electrical design time and a 300% productivity increase reported by Maxfield Consulting. Revenue is generated through software licensing with two dimensions: term (Annual subscriptions and Permanent/perpetual licenses) and access model (Single-User and Floating). Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed, and the go-to-market motion is direct-to-consumer via the designmaster.biz website with free trial downloads, supplemented by phone, email, and chat support, plus content marketing (blog, YouTube, Electrical Building Design Show podcast) and event presence at Autodesk University and NECA conventions.

The firm is small (1–10 employees), capital-efficient, and bootstrapped, with no disclosed parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity. It has earned four Consulting-Specifying Engineer Product of the Year awards (2011, 2023, 2024, 2025) and an EC&M Platinum Award (2020). Recent strategic emphasis has shifted toward AI-assisted design review (ElectroBIM 2.8, May 2026) and expansion into fire alarm design (FireBIM beta, March 2026).

Name

Design Master Software

Legal name

Design Master Software, Inc.

Website

https://designmaster.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Design Master Software develops MEP engineering design add-ins for Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD, serving electrical engineers and MEP firms with integrated tools for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, photometric, and fire alarm design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MEP Engineering Design Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Information Modeling (BIM) & Digital Design Services (BPAHAKAK)

Keywords

• MEP engineering software
• Electrical design software
• Revit add-ins
• AutoCAD add-ins
• BIM electrical design

Headquarters

HQ city

Lynnwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: Design Master Software generates revenue through software licensing with two main types: Annual Licenses (one-year subscriptions) and Permanent Licenses (one-time purchase). Additionally, license types include Single-User Licenses (for individual use on multiple computers) and Floating Licenses (network-based with concurrent user limits).
2. License Upgrades: Customers who purchase software may receive the opportunity to receive upgrades released during the first year or other time period following purchase as detailed in their Purchase Agreement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Design Master Software develops and sells MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) engineering design add-ins for Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD. Its flagship product, ElectroBIM, integrates electrical single-line diagrams and calculations directly within the Revit BIM environment, while DM Electrical, DM HVAC, DM Photometrics, and DM Plumbing serve AutoCAD-based workflows for electrical, HVAC, lighting, and plumbing design.

Product overview

Design Master Software is a specialized MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) engineering design software company offering a portfolio of add-ins for both Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD. The product lineup consists of ElectroBIM (electrical design for Revit), FireBIM (fire alarm design for Revit, in beta), DM Electrical (electrical design for AutoCAD), DM HVAC (HVAC design for AutoCAD), DM Photometrics (lighting calculations for AutoCAD), and DM Plumbing (plumbing design for AutoCAD). ElectroBIM is the flagship Revit-based electrical solution integrating single-line diagrams with the BIM model; the AutoCAD products are offered both individually and in bundled packages (HVAC & Electrical, HVAC & Plumbing, Electrical & Plumbing, or all three combined). The company also offers a DM Components network installer utility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ElectroBIM: A Revit-integrated solution for electrical design, single-line diagrams, and calculations.
• FireBIM
• DM Electrical
• DM HVAC
• DM Photometrics
• DM Plumbing

Products and services

• ElectroBIM Electrical design add-in for Autodesk Revit that integrates the Revit model, single-line diagrams, and electrical calculations directly within the BIM environment. Automatically updates single-line diagrams and calculations without imports, links, or syncs. Built for electrical engineers and MEP engineering firms using Revit for building design.
• FireBIM Fire alarm design add-in for Autodesk Revit that brings purpose-built fire alarm design tools into BIM workflows, with integrated riser diagrams and voltage drop and battery calculations. Currently in beta release.
• DM Electrical Complete electrical design software for AutoCAD that enables creation of electrical designs including branch circuits, panel schedules, voltage drop calculations, one-line diagrams, and other calculations within the AutoCAD environment.
• DM HVAC HVAC layout, sizing, and drafting software for AutoCAD that enables mechanical engineers to lay out, size, and draft ductwork with pressure drop calculations inside AutoCAD.
• DM Photometrics Outdoor photometric calculation program that works directly inside AutoCAD, calculating point-by-point foot-candle or lux levels, uniformity ratios, and isolines on site plans, and supporting IES files from any lighting manufacturer.
• DM Plumbing Plumbing design software for AutoCAD enabling pipe layout, sizing, and drafting. Available as a standalone product and in bundled packages with HVAC and Electrical.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cut electrical design time in half with proper single-line diagram workflows in Revit
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AutodeskcoreTechnology or IntegrationDesign Master Software develops add-ins that integrate with Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD platforms, supporting multiple versions from 2004 through 2027.
• Autodesk UniversityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegular exhibitor at Autodesk University conferences to connect with and train MEP engineers on Design Master software products.
• NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegular exhibitor at NECA conventions to connect with electrical contractors and engineers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CADduct / Trimble MEP: CADduct (now part of Trimble's MEP portfolio) provides AutoCAD-based duct and pipe design tools, directly overlapping with Design Master's DM HVAC and DM Plumbing products for AutoCAD users.
• Glodon MagiCAD: MagiCAD develops MEP and BIM add-ins for Revit and AutoCAD, including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design tools — the closest direct competitor to Design Master's ElectroBIM, DM HVAC, and FireBIM product lines.
• StabiCAD (Trimble): StabiCAD provides MEP engineering design add-ins for Revit, including electrical, mechanical, and plumbing modules. Like Design Master, it sells directly to MEP engineering firms and competes for the same Revit add-in budget.
• Ideate Software: Ideate Software builds Revit-specific add-ins and productivity tools for AEC firms, including Revit data management and MEP-relevant workflows. It targets the same Revit-using MEP engineer persona and competes for the same Autodesk platform add-on wallet share.

Emerging players

• Solibri (Nemetschek): Solibri focuses on BIM model quality assurance and rule-based checking rather than MEP-specific design. It serves the same Revit-using engineering firms with a complementary but adjacent capability set.

Broad incumbents

• Autodesk: Autodesk owns the Revit and AutoCAD platforms that Design Master's products integrate with. It is both the core technology partner and the broadest incumbent, occasionally expanding native capabilities (e.g., electrical and MEP features in Revit) that compete with Design Master's add-ins.
• Bentley Systems: Bentley provides infrastructure and AEC engineering software (OpenBuildings, AECOsim) with MEP-relevant capabilities, serving similar building engineering customers though at the enterprise infrastructure scale rather than as a Revit add-in.
• Nemetschek Group: Nemetschek owns Vectorworks, Graphisoft Archicad, Bluebeam, and Solibri — a portfolio of AEC design and BIM software that serves overlapping MEP-adjacent workflows at a broader scale than Design Master.
• Trimble: Trimble owns SketchUp, Tekla, StabiCAD, and CADduct, offering a broad AEC portfolio. Its MEP-specific products overlap directly with Design Master, while its broader portfolio targets the same engineering customers with adjacent tools.

Others

• Enscape (Chaos): Enscape provides real-time visualization and rendering plug-ins for Revit and other BIM tools. It is an ecosystem add-on rather than a direct competitor but shares the same Revit add-in distribution and customer base as Design Master.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/designmasterbiz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Design_Master_Software
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-master-software

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design Master Software