Not a full project backup. Autodesk's support article says a project cannot be copied with all its data, and points to the Replication Tool for files and folders. Issues, RFIs and other records need a separate tool such as SIINC.
Replication Tool and Bridge copy files. SIINC keeps the whole project.
Autodesk's own support says there is no way to copy an Autodesk Forma project, or a BIM 360 project with all its data. It points to the Autodesk Replication Tool (ART), a technology preview that copies files and models between projects and hubs, and Bridge, which shares sheets and files with other projects. SIINC does two other jobs. It backs up 11 Autodesk modules into Amazon S3 or Azure Blob Storage you own, and its Migration Tool moves a project and 24 modules to another hub.
- Compared
- Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge and SIINC
- Side by side
- 9 capabilities
- Sources cited
- 8, linked at the table
- Facts checked
- 27 Oct 2026
Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge or SIINC: the short answer
The Autodesk Replication Tool (ART) and Autodesk Bridge copy files, models and sheets between Autodesk Forma and BIM 360 projects, while SIINC backs up and migrates the whole project record. Autodesk says ART does not copy metadata such as issues, RFIs and permissions, and Bridge leaves markups behind and cannot share files between regions. SIINC writes files, issues, RFIs, submittals and more into AWS or Azure storage you own on a schedule, and its Migration Tool moves a project with 24 modules and the links between records rewired.
Last reviewed
Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge and SIINC, side by side
What each one does with your project record. Coral marks where the record is at risk.
- Autodesk VillageBIM blog: Autodesk Replication Tool for Docs (Aug 2024, in French)
- Autodesk help: Replication Tool for Docs
- IMAGINiT: Autodesk Replication Tool for Docs
- IMAGINiT: ACC regional storage, Replication Tool and Bridge
- Autodesk help: Share files and folders with another project
- Autodesk: Bridge
- Symetri: migrating projects between BIM 360 and ACC
- Autodesk support: copying a project with all its contents
| Capability | Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge | SIINC |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | ART is a technology preview for copying files between Autodesk Docs projects and hubs. Bridge shares sheets and files with other projects and accounts | A scheduled backup into your own cloud storage, plus a Migration Tool for moving a project to another hub |
| Files and models | Yes. ART copies all file types in bulk, including linked Revit files | Yes, with every file version |
| Issues, RFIs and submittals | Not copied. Autodesk lists issues, RFIs and permissions as metadata ART does not copy | Backed up with issues, RFIs, submittals, transmittals and reviews. A migration carries 24 modules |
| Links between models and records | Models moved by ART must be relinked | Relationships rewired to the new IDs in a migration |
| Runs on a schedule | ART tasks can run once or on a recurring schedule. Bridge can keep shared folders updated, but new subfolders are not added automatically | Scheduled Full and Sync backups, hourly as standard |
| Where the copy lives | In another Autodesk project or hub | In your own S3 or Azure Blob storage, outside Autodesk |
| Across regions | ART can copy between hubs in the same or a different region. Bridge cannot share files between projects in different regions | The Migration Tool moves projects between hubs in the same region or another |
| Reading the copy later | Through Autodesk, in the target project | The Autodesk Portal, with folder tree, previews and downloads, without an Autodesk login |
| Access | ART needs an access request, and the app added to your account. Bridge works from inside Autodesk Forma | A commercial service, priced per GB per month |
When is Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge enough?
- You only need files and models copied, and issues, RFIs and markups can stay behind.
- You want to share current sheets or folders with a partner's project while the job runs. That is what Bridge is built for, and it works across accounts.
- You need a recurring file copy between two Autodesk projects and are comfortable relying on a technology preview.
- The copy should stay inside Autodesk, where your team already works.
When do you need SIINC instead of Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge?
- You need a copy of the project outside Autodesk, in storage your company owns, that is still there after a subscription lapses or a hub is archived.
- Issues, RFIs, submittals, reviews and transmittals matter as much as the drawings.
- You are moving a project to another hub or region and need its issues, RFIs and the links between them to come too.
- You need a ledger of what moved in a migration, and a history of every backup run.
- Projects that are already archived need backing up. On Enterprise, SIINC brings archived projects into backup scope, when you start it or automatically, in batches.
Using Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge and SIINC together
Bridge and SIINC do different jobs. Use Bridge to share live sheets and folders with partner projects during the job, and SIINC to keep an independent copy of your own project in your own storage. For a hub move, the SIINC Migration Tool takes over from the Replication Tool where you need more than files.
Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge vs SIINC questions
Autodesk Replication Tool and Bridge vs SIINC questions
No. Autodesk's own blog lists metadata such as issues, RFIs and permissions as things the Replication Tool does not copy. It copies files and models, including linked Revit files.
No. Bridge cannot share files between projects in different regions, and Symetri notes it does not support transfers between BIM 360 and Autodesk Forma. The Replication Tool can copy between hubs in different regions.
Yes. Autodesk's help says it copies files and models on an immediate or scheduled basis, and tasks can recur. It is still a file copy into another Autodesk project, not a backup outside Autodesk.
In an Amazon S3 bucket or Azure Blob Storage container in your own cloud account, as the original files plus JSON metadata in a documented folder structure. The Autodesk Portal reads from that storage, so you can browse and download files without an Autodesk login, and SIINC can restore them into Autodesk, including into a different account.
More construction backup comparisons
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- vs syncing to SharePoint, Teams or BoxA mirror copies mistakes across. A backup keeps the version from before them.
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