The origins of the official 3D city model date back to the presentation of one of the largest urban development projects of post-1989 Berlin: the planned redevelopment of Potsdamer Platz. This was displayed in a very user-friendly way in the form of a virtual 3D model set up inside the so-called "Info-Box" on Potsdamer Platz. The model was subsequently used to provide interactive advice to potential investors at the showroom of the Business Location Center (BLC), the city information service of Berlin’s business promotion agency, Berlin Partner GmbH.

At the same time a CAD-based 3D model of the city was developed by the Senate Urban Development Department for use in urban planning as part of the Planwerk Innenstadt. The aim was to produce an accurate three-dimensional geometrical image based on the automated cadastral map (ALK Berlin: digital cadastre) in order to enable urban development planning on a building-by-building basis.