This article explains how to use manual publishing for building settings and files.
With manual publishing and file areas, you can control when buildings should be available in Locations as both drawings and model files will follow the file flow of the project whether you use file flows or direct authorization.
Files must be in the Published files area before they are visible in Locations.
Note
This article shows manual publishing for buildings, but can also be used for areas, structures in InfraField.
If you use manual publishing, file areas, and Design, you get an environment within Dalux where you can view and communicate about unpublished models and drawings. In this environment, you can use model validation, comments, and other Dalux features to collaborate across teams on models and drawing iterations before the model is made available to others in the project.
Read more
Before using manual publishing, you should be familiar with file areas and how these work in Dalux. You can read more about file areas, in this article: File areas.
Table of contents
How to activate manual publishing
If you want to control the visibility of models and their versions in Locations, you must use manual publishing. All files for buildings (drawings and models) follow the project's file flow. This means all files associated with a building must be in Published files before they are available in Locations.
Technical information
You will need the following:
- To activate at least two file areas (Files and Published files)
- To activate Manual publishing for the project
- Add drawing and model files from the file area 'Files' in
Box to a building in Dalux
- Activate
Design and assign user groups access
Note that, if you want to use Design you need to have Dalux Box Pro.
WARNING
Enabling manual publishing is a permanent change to the project. You cannot revert to automatic publishing. You should consider whether manual publishing is appropriate for your current projects and be aware of the consequences.
To activate manual publishing, go to:
Settings
Locations
Buildings
More
Use manual publishing.
(Click the image to enhance)
You will see a popup window, where you have to confirm the activation of manual publishing. When you activate manual publishing, you should be aware that:
- Buildings need to be manually published before they appear in Locations
- Changes to building settings need to manually be published before they are updated in Locations
- Model and drawing files for buildings need to be in Published files before they are visible in Locations. Only the latest versions are shown.
- You can only make zones, 2D objects, 3D objects, colors, etc. once the files are in published files
To activate manual publishing click 'Use manual publishing'.
(Click the image to enhance)
How to manually publish building settings
To see your unpublished buildings, you should use Design. You can read more about how to activate and use it, in this article: How to use Design.
Once manual publishing has been activated, new building settings or changes to existing buildings have to be manually published before they appear in Locations.
Creating and adding files is the same as when using automatic publishing. You can read more about creating buildings in this article: Upload IFC model files and 2D drawings.
Note
When you make changes to building settings, such as adding levels or mapping drawings in 3D, the building will be processed in the background. It might take a short while before these changes are visible in Design. If you do not see your changes, please wait a while.
To update your building settings, go to:
Settings
Locations
Buildings
If a building has unpublished settings, you will see a bar at the top of the window. The building settings can be published by clicking 'Publish settings'.
(Click the image to enhance)
When you click 'Publish settings' a summary window will show you, which settings are being published to Locations. To commit to the publish, click on 'Publish settings' in the summary window.
(Click the image to enhance)
Technical information
Make sure, that you publish both your building settings and the files when you are ready to have the building visible in Locations.
You should first publish any unpublished building settings in Settings
Locations
Buildings.
Then, publish your model and drawings through either manual authorization to published files or by using a file flow.
You can publish building settings to Locations while your files are still in the 'Files' file area. The building will appear in Locations, but no data will be shown until the files are also published.
Likewise, you can publish your files but not publish your building settings. In this case, the model will be visible in Locations but might be missing levels or drawings.
Once the building settings and the building files are published, they are visible in Locations for everyone on the project.
How to use Design
In Design you can work with unpublished versions of building files, for instance in the design phase or project or when making iterations on models during construction.
While using Design, you can:
- Use comments and communication channels
- Filter, measure and colorize
- Use model validation
- Compare published and unpublished buildings
You cannot make Field registrations (tasks, checklists, etc.) on models or drawings in Design.
Read more
If you want to learn more about using Design, read this article: How to use Design.