IMSI Technologies
IMSI Design, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Novato, California, develops CAD and home design software under the TurboCAD, DesignCAD, and FloorPlan brands for Windows and Mac, serving AEC professionals, DIY consumers, students, and mechanical engineers via direct e-commerce and resellers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersNovato, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What IMSI Technologies does
IMSI Design is a privately held developer of desktop CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and home design software, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Novato, California. The company's portfolio is organized around three core brands: TurboCAD (all-purpose 2D/3D CAD for Windows and Mac, sold in four tiers from Designer through Platinum), DesignCAD (entry-level 2D/3D CAD for Windows), and FloorPlan (home and landscape design for Windows and Mac). Underlying technology components include the ACIS solid modeling engine and the RedSDK rendering engine, with a recently introduced AI-powered design assistant called TurboCAD Copilot offered as a term-licensed add-on.
The company monetizes through a dual licensing model combining one-time perpetual licenses and annual term/subscription licenses, supplemented by an extensive add-on ecosystem that includes rendering plug-ins (LightWorks, RedSDK), Animation Lab, CAM, Civil Design Suite, Furniture Maker, Beam Analysis Tool, FORMTOOL, project management (TurboProject), and CAD companion tools (PDF2CAD, CADsymbols, TurboPDF, TurboDraw). Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via an e-commerce storefront, 1-800 phone sales, and live chat, with extension through affiliate and reseller programs serving a global customer base.
IMSI serves four primary customer segments: AEC (architectural, engineering, and construction) professionals, home designers and DIY consumers, CAD beginners and students, and mechanical engineers and makers. The company self-reports 20M+ cumulative worldwide users since 1983, consistent top-10 CAD brand ranking, and adoption by named Forbes 500 enterprises. IMSI Design is privately held with no disclosed investors, parent entity, or financial filings.
IMSI Technologies firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- IMSI Technologies
- Legal name
- IMSI Design
- Website
- https://imsitechnologies.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- IMSI Design, founded in 1983 and headquartered in Novato, California, develops CAD and home design software under the TurboCAD, DesignCAD, and FloorPlan brands for Windows and Mac, serving AEC professionals, DIY consumers, students, and mechanical engineers via direct e-commerce and resellers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
IMSI Technologies industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- 3D Design & CAD for Additive Manufacturing (IMAAACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Software Development (Programming, Frameworks, Dev Tools) (EDABAFAA)
Keywords
Where IMSI Technologies is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Novato
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
IMSI Technologies business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- One-time Perpetual License Sales: Traditional desktop software sales with perpetual licenses for TurboCAD, DesignCAD, and FloorPlan products across multiple editions (Designer, Deluxe, Professional, Platinum)
- Term/Subscription Licenses: Annual term licenses available for TurboCAD, DesignCAD, FloorPlan, TurboCAD Copilot, TurboCAD Content Server, Training, and PowerPack Mac products
- Add-on Products and Plug-ins: Supplementary products including plug-ins (LightWorks, RedSDK, Animation Lab, CAM), training guides, CAD companions (PDF2CAD, CADsymbols, TurboPDF, TurboDraw), and FORMTOOL
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
IMSI Technologies product offering
Product offeringCore offering
IMSI Design develops and sells CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and home design software for Windows, Mac, and mobile platforms. The portfolio centers on three product lines — TurboCAD (all-purpose 2D/3D CAD), DesignCAD (easy-to-use 2D/3D CAD), and FloorPlan (home and landscape design) — sold as perpetual licenses and annual term subscriptions, with a large add-on and plug-in ecosystem (rendering, animation, CAM, civil, structural, PDF conversion, AI assistance).
Product overview
IMSI Design offers a portfolio of CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and home design software. The core product lines include TurboCAD (all-purpose 2D/3D CAD for Windows and Mac in Designer, Deluxe, Professional, and Platinum tiers), DesignCAD (easy-to-use 2D/3D CAD for Windows beginners), and FloorPlan (home and landscape design for Windows and Mac). Add-on modules extend functionality including rendering plugins (LightWorks, RedSDK), animation tools, CAM capabilities, project management (TurboProject), PDF/CAD conversion tools, form creation (FORMTOOL), and specialized tools for civil design, furniture making, and structural analysis. The company recently introduced AI-powered design assistance via TurboCAD Copilot with the 2026 releases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TurboCAD: All-Purpose 2D/3D CAD Software Solutions for Windows and Mac Users.
- DesignCAD
- FloorPlan
- TurboFloorPlan
Products and services
- TurboCAD All-purpose 2D/3D CAD software for Windows and Mac, available in Designer, Deluxe, Professional, and Platinum tiers, with ACIS solid modeling, photorealistic rendering, optional AutoCAD-like 2D drafting interface, and broad file format support. Used by architects, engineers, makers, and design professionals.
- TurboCAD Mac Mac-specific version of TurboCAD in four tiers (Designer, Deluxe, Pro, Platinum) for architects, engineers, builders, and design professionals requiring 2D/3D CAD on macOS.
- DesignCAD Easy-to-use 2D/3D CAD software for Windows, positioned for beginners and general-purpose drafting, available in DesignCAD 3D Max and DesignCAD 2D Express versions.
- FloorPlan Complete home and landscape design software for Windows and Mac, enabling design from foundation to roof including HVAC, electrical, plumbing, walls, windows, doors, and custom roofs for homeowners and DIY users.
- TurboCAD Copilot AI-powered design assistance add-on for TurboCAD, available as 1-year or 3-year term licenses, providing generative-AI-assisted CAD workflows.
- LightWorks Plug-in for TurboCAD Rendering plug-in for TurboCAD Windows providing enhanced photorealistic rendering capabilities for design visualization.
- RedSDK Plug-in for TurboCAD Rendering engine plug-in for TurboCAD providing enhanced drawing performance in wireframe, hidden-line, and conceptual rendered viewing modes.
- CAM Plug-in for TurboCAD Platinum Computer-Aided Manufacturing plug-in for TurboCAD Platinum enabling CNC machining and manufacturing output for mechanical designers and makers.
- Animation Lab Plug-in Animation plug-in for TurboCAD enabling creation of animated sequences from 3D models for design visualization and presentation.
- TurboProject Pro v7 Project management add-on for TurboCAD for managing design projects and workflows.
- PDF2CAD PC v12 CAD companion tool that converts PDF files into editable CAD formats for TurboCAD users.
- FORMTOOL Form creation and manipulation tool available in Professional, Deluxe, and Standard versions for creating and editing fillable forms.
- TurboCAD Content Server Server-based content management and delivery system for TurboCAD designs and CAD assets, available as an annual term license.
- TurboCAD Training Training resources for TurboCAD available as term license including tutorials and guides.
Quantifiable outcome
- Top 10 CAD brand globally
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use IMSI Technologies
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
IMSI Technologies technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature4 records
IMSI Technologies partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
IMSI Technologies competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Graphisoft (ArchiCAD): ArchiCAD is a leading BIM/AEC CAD platform on Mac and Windows within the Nemetschek Group, competing with TurboCAD's architectural workflows and broader AEC focus.
- Autodesk: Maker of AutoCAD, Revit, Fusion 360, and Inventor — the dominant incumbent in 2D/3D CAD and BIM that TurboCAD directly competes against across professional AEC and mechanical segments.
- PTC (Creo / Onshape): PTC's Creo and the cloud-native Onshape platform are major mechanical CAD alternatives, with Onshape particularly threatening desktop-first products like TurboCAD Platinum among new engineers.
- Dassault Systèmes (SolidWorks / DraftSight): Dassault's SolidWorks dominates mechanical 3D CAD while DraftSight targets 2D DWG workflows — both compete with TurboCAD across manufacturing and general drafting customers.
Direct peers
- Vectorworks (Nemetschek): Vectorworks offers 2D/3D CAD and BIM software for Mac and Windows focused on AEC, landscape, and entertainment design — a parallel mid-tier alternative to TurboCAD for architectural professionals.
- Corel (CorelCAD): CorelCAD is Corel's DWG-compatible 2D/3D CAD product for Windows and Mac, targeting the same value-conscious professional and prosumer segment as TurboCAD and DesignCAD.
- Chief Architect: Chief Architect Software makes residential 3D CAD/home design products for builders, remodelers, and designers — directly competing with IMSI's FloorPlan and TurboFloorPlan product lines.
- Bricsys (BricsCAD): BricsCAD offers DWG-based 2D/3D CAD on Windows, Mac, and Linux at price points comparable to TurboCAD, with perpetual and subscription licensing — the closest direct rival in the affordable professional CAD tier.
- Trimble SketchUp: SketchUp provides 3D modeling for architects, designers, and DIY home/build users, overlapping with IMSI's FloorPlan and TurboCAD for conceptual design, interiors, and AEC workflows.
Emerging players
- NanoCAD: NanoCAD offers a free, DWG-compatible 2D/3D CAD product targeted at the same price-sensitive students, SMBs, and individual designers that IMSI's Designer-tier TurboCAD and DesignCAD pursue.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
IMSI Technologies social profiles
Digital presenceIMSI Technologies financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
IMSI Technologies leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
IMSI Technologies funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
IMSI Technologies M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about IMSI Technologies
What does IMSI Technologies do?
IMSI Design develops and sells CAD (Computer-Aided Design) and home design software for Windows, Mac, and mobile platforms. The portfolio centers on three product lines — TurboCAD (all-purpose 2D/3D CAD), DesignCAD (easy-to-use 2D/3D CAD), and FloorPlan (home and landscape design) — sold as perpetual licenses and annual term subscriptions, with a large add-on and plug-in ecosystem (rendering, animation, CAM, civil, structural, PDF conversion, AI assistance).
Is IMSI Technologies a public or private company?
IMSI Technologies is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was IMSI Technologies founded?
IMSI Technologies was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is IMSI Technologies based?
IMSI Technologies is headquartered in Novato, United States, in the North America region.
How does IMSI Technologies make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. One-time Perpetual License Sales are the primary driver. The others are term/Subscription Licenses and add-on Products and Plug-ins.
Who are IMSI Technologies's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Graphisoft (ArchiCAD), Autodesk, PTC (Creo / Onshape) and Dassault Systèmes (SolidWorks / DraftSight). Direct peers are Vectorworks (Nemetschek), Corel (CorelCAD), Chief Architect, Bricsys (BricsCAD) and Trimble SketchUp. NanoCAD is listed as an emerging player.
Does IMSI Technologies have an API?
No public API is recorded for IMSI Technologies.
What industry is IMSI Technologies in?
IMSI Technologies's product category is Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAAACAA, 3D Design & CAD for Additive Manufacturing, with a secondary code of EDABAFAA, Software Development (Programming, Frameworks, Dev Tools). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.