The National CAD Standard is a collaborative effort in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 between the National Institute of Building Sciences

National Institute of Building Sciences

The National Institute of Building Sciences is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that successfully brings together representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor and consumer interests, and regulatory agencies to focus on the identification and resolution of problems and...

, the American Institute of Architects

American Institute of Architects

The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...

, and the Construction Specifications Institute

Construction Specifications Institute

The Construction Specifications Institute is an organization that maintains and advances the standardization of construction language as pertains to building specifications...

, to create a unified approach to the creation and collaboration of building design data by means of building information modeling

Building Information Modeling

Building information modeling is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle.BIM involves representing a design as objects – vague and undefined, generic or product-specific, solid shapes or void-space oriented , that carry their geometry, relations and attributes...

 and integrated into CAD software such as MicroStation

Microstation

MicroStation is a CAD software product for 2- and 3-dimensional design and drafting, developed and sold by Bentley Systems. The latest versions of the software are released solely for Microsoft Windows operating systems, but historically MicroStation was available for Macintosh platforms and a...

 and AutoCAD

AutoCAD

AutoCAD is a software application for computer-aided design and drafting in both 2D and 3D. It is developed and sold by Autodesk, Inc. First released in December 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, notably the IBM PC...

. Development is a collaborative process lead by the buildingSMART Alliance, formerly the Facilities Information Council.