This study analyzed the role of PERFORM 3D in the preliminary evaluation of seismic performance of engineering structures. Firstly, PERFORM 3D was briefly introduced, and its material constitutive model and basic model were analyzed. Then, taking a high-rise building project in Yulin, Shaanxi, China, as an example, PERFORM 3D was used to evaluate its seismic performance. After establishing the engineering model, five seismic waves were selected for simulation. The results showed that the maximum values of X-axis inter-story displacement angle and Y-axis displacement angle were 1/500 and 1/360 respectively, which were far less than the standard limit; the overall energy dissipation was good, the damping was small, the overall deformation was good, and the seismic performance was also good. In conclusion, PERFORM 3D has a good performance in the preliminary evaluation of seismic performance of engineering, and it is worth further promotion and application.