Before you issue a Revit or BIM model to a client, consultant or builder, timestamp that exact version. TimeBinder® makes a fingerprint in your browser. The file stays on your device. You get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate that shows this exact model file existed no later than a recorded time. It does not show who modelled it, who owns the IP, or that the model is coordinated. Free to start. For general CAD/BIM dating, see prove a CAD, BIM or Figma file existed before a date.
Table of Contents
The routine: timestamp before each issue
- Publish or export the issued set (RVT, IFC, NWD, or the PDF/DWG set that travels with it). Do not keep editing that copy.
- Optional. Confirm the hash with the free SHA-256 hash checker.
- Timestamp the issued files (up to 10 per TimeBind, or one zip). Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required.
- Save the Proof of Time Certificate next to that issue folder.
- Then issue via BIM 360, email or the project portal.
- The next issue is a new version. Timestamp again before it leaves.
How to timestamp a file covers Windows and Mac steps. DWG sets: prove an AutoCAD DWG existed before a date.
Why model “Date modified” is weak alone
Local and server clocks move. Sync tools rewrite packages. Cloud history helps inside one platform, but the other party may not trust it. A fingerprint of the exact file you issued still matches later if you kept that file. See can a file’s date created be changed?.
What to keep per issue
- The issued model or IFC and certificate.
- The issue transmittal or portal receipt.
- A short note of revision code and purpose (for construction, for coordination, for DA).
What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t
A TimeBind shows that this exact file existed no later than the recorded time. It does not show authorship, ownership or copyright, and it does not prove clash-free coordination. Keep contracts and BIM execution plans. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Should I timestamp the central model or a published copy?
Timestamp the copy you actually issue. Centrals keep changing.
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IFC and RVT in one TimeBind?
Yes, up to 10 files.
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Does ACC or BIM 360 versioning replace this?
It helps your team. An independent fingerprint helps when the dispute is outside that platform.
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What about linked models?
Timestamp the package you send. If links are separate files in the zip, keep that exact zip.
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What does it cost?
Your first Pooled TimeBind is free, with no credit card required. After that, from US$5; ASAP is US$15. See plans and pricing
Timestamp your next issue free
Show that this exact file existed no later than a recorded time. Files stay on your device. Get a checkable Proof of Time Certificate. Free to start. Open TimeBinder
2026 worked example: issuing a design development set
Illustrative example, not a real case.
A project team issues a design development set on 3 March 2026: the PDF drawings, an IFC export and a DWG of the site plan. Rather than timestamp the live central model, the BIM coordinator exports the issued files, adds the issue code (DD-03) to each file name and makes one TimeBind for the three files.
Six weeks later a consultant says a services penetration was not shown on the DD-03 drawings. The practice can produce the exact DD-03 files, show they match the certificate, and show when they existed by. The record shows what was issued and when it existed by. It does not show who agreed to it or what was said about it.
Reviewed 10 November 2026.
