Every published version, as its own file.
One file per version, in the same folder tree you see in your hub. No database, no proprietary archive.
Backup Sorcery for Autodesk Forma and BIM 360
Desktop Connector gives you the latest version. Backup Sorcery gives you the history.
A free Windows app that copies your Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Construction Cloud) and BIM 360 projects to local disk — every published version, not just the latest, each as its own file, with a SHA-256 manifest you can check without the app.
Public beta · Free
The history is there. Getting it out is the hard part.
Your projects live in Autodesk's cloud, and so does their history. Desktop Connector and the project download give you the latest versions. Any earlier version can be downloaded too, but one version of one file at a time, from its version history: Autodesk offers no way to download every version at once. For a project with hundreds of files and dozens of versions each, that means thousands of downloads by hand. When a project closes, when a contract ends, or when access to a client's hub is about to expire, Backup Sorcery does them all in one run.
What you get on disk
D:\Backups\Riverside Library\
Project Files\
Architecture\
RL-ARC-Model_v01.rvt
RL-ARC-Model_v02.rvt
...
RL-ARC-Model_v14.rvt
Structure\
RL-STR-Model_v01.rvt
backup-sorcery-manifest.json
Names are illustrative.
A folder a person can read, and a list a machine can check.
- One file per version, named
<name>_vNN.<ext>. It sits in the hub's folder tree. There is no database, no deduplicated repository and no proprietary archive. Any person can open the files. backup-sorcery-manifest.jsonsits in each project folder. It lists every version with its size and SHA-256 hash, plus what was skipped and why.
A backup you can verify.
Every downloaded version is listed with its SHA-256 hash in a plain JSON manifest. Check the copy years from now, with or without Backup Sorcery. How to check →
The second run moves only what changed.
Versions already on disk are checked against the manifest and kept. An interrupted download continues from the byte it stopped at. A run that dies is recorded as interrupted, never as finished.
How it works
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Register your own Autodesk app.
Backup Sorcery runs as your own Autodesk Platform Services application. No AEC.codes account, and your files never pass through our servers.
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Your hub admin enables it, once.
Backup Sorcery reaches only hubs where an admin has enabled your app. We wrote a page you can forward to them. The page for your admin →
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See before you download.
For each project: how many files and versions, and how much they weigh. Choose the latest versions only or every version, and see the plan before a single byte moves.
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Queue it, walk away.
Queue several projects and set a speed cap if the office line is shared. A recap is waiting when you come back, problems first.
Setup takes about fifteen minutes, once, and needs a hub admin. Read the setup guide →
Measured, not promised
- 7,044 files, latest versions: about 4 minutes. The Forma project download of the same project took 26 minutes, on the same line.
- A cloud model with 90 published versions, 19 GB: every version, in under two hours, unattended.
- Second run on a project already backed up: only the new versions move.
Measured by AEC.codes on our own connection in Europe, against a hub hosted in the US. Your times depend on your connection, on the size of your files, and on where your hub's data is stored.
Built to be trusted
- Read-only. It never changes, moves or deletes anything in your hub.
- Your permissions, not more. It inherits the folder permissions of the account that signs in.
- Your admin holds the switch. Disable the integration and the app stops working on that hub.
- Nothing passes through us. Files go from Autodesk to your disk. The only call to AEC.codes is an anonymous update check.
What it costs
Backing up your projects to your own disk is free: every published version, the manifest, the size check, the plan and the queue, with no AEC.codes account. Some heavier features may stay free or become part of a paid plan: backing up straight to cloud storage, unattended or scheduled runs, filters for large hubs, archiving with compression and retention, and a nightly check for changes. We haven't decided yet, and we will say so before any of them ships.
FAQ
Does it back up every project I'm invited to?
No. Only projects on hubs where an admin has enabled your app, and only what your own account can already open.
Does it get around project permissions?
No. It signs in as you and inherits your folder permissions. It exposes nothing you could not already download by hand. It removes friction, not walls.
Does it really get every version?
Every published version Autodesk stores. For cloud-workshared Revit models, a version exists only once it is published: what was synchronised but never published cannot be downloaded by anyone through Autodesk's API. Anything Backup Sorcery cannot get is listed in the manifest with the reason, never silently left out.
Where do my files go?
Straight from Autodesk's storage to the folder you choose. They never pass through AEC.codes.
What do I need?
A Windows 10 or 11 PC (64-bit), an Autodesk account with access to the hub, and a hub admin willing to enable your app once.
Is it a Revit add-in?
No. It is a standalone Windows app, and Revit does not need to be installed.
What does it cost?
Backing up to your own disk is free. Some heavier features may stay free or become paid; we haven't decided yet, and we'll say so before they ship. What it costs →