This article covers the basics of the Locations module in Dalux FM, including how to create and manage locations, estates, lots, and buildings.
In Dalux FM, buildings or lots are linked to estates, which are always tied to a location. Locations help identify where tickets and work orders are assigned.
They also enable filtering and sorting of registrations and documentation by building, making information easier to locate.
Table of contents
- Video
- How locations work in Dalux FM
- How to create buildings in Dalux FM
- How to create lots in Dalux FM
- Edit or delete buildings, lots, estates
- Edit or delete locations
Video
How locations work in Dalux FM
Before creating your first locations, it is a good idea to understand how locations function in Dalux FM. Locations in Dalux FM are categorized like so:
The Locations module contains all locations, buildings, lots, and estates for the project. This is where everything is created and managed.
A location is the general area where estates are situated, typically categorized by countries, regions, or cities.
Estates can contain lots and buildings, serving to define a land area, like a campus.
Buildings refer to the actual structures on an estate, such as a main building or garage.
Lots are the outdoor areas associated with buildings, like seating or recreational spaces.
You can start by creating locations, estates, buildings, or lots. However, buildings and lots must be linked to an estate, and estates to a location. You can create new estates and locations while adding buildings or lots.
How to create buildings in Dalux FM
User rights
Locations in Dalux FM can be managed by administrators or user roles with the 'Edit building mass' permission in 'Locations'.
You can read more about user roles in Dalux FM in this article: How to set up User roles and Regions.
To get started with locations, click on Locations module in the sidebar. This will automatically open the map view. In a new Dalux FM instance, there will be no locations.
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You can zoom in and manually find the location of your building on the map. Alternatively, click anywhere on the map and then click New
Building. A new window will appear, where you can type in an address.
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Once the location is found, a polygon needs to be drawn around the building.
Ensure the entire building is visible, adjusting the zoom as needed since the view can't be moved while drawing. Then press Draw polygon.
Click around the edge of the building. Clicking on the first point again will close the loop and create the polygon.
If you make a mistake or want to start over, press the escape key on your keyboard to cancel the polygon.
When done drawing, click on 'Continue' to proceed.
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After clicking 'Continue' a new window will appear. Here the information of the building can be added. It is required to fill in the name of the building and which estate it is tied to.
You can select estates already in the instance or create a new one by typing in the estate name.
You can enter the gross area and net area, change the address, and add an image of the building, by clicking on any of the fields. These can later be used for filtering and sorting.
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If you have entered a new estate name, Dalux FM will notify you that the estate does not exist and ask if you want to create it.
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A new window will appear, for creating the estate. An estate requires a location, that can be entered here. An existing location can be selected, or a new one can be entered.
If you enter a location that does not exist yet, Dalux FM will again ask if you want to create a new location.
Click 'Create' when done (values can be changed later).
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The newly created building will now appear on the map, as a number in a circle. The number shows the amount of buildings in the area.
You can click on the circles to zoom in on the area containing the building(s).
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How to create lots in Dalux FM
Creating lots in Dalux FM works the same as creating buildings (see above). Just select Lots from the menu.
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Then draw the polygon for the lot.
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Lots also need to be associated with an estate. Click on 'Create' when done to create the lot.
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Edit or delete buildings, lots and estates
If you need to manage your created buildings, lots, or estates it is easily done from the list view in the Locations module.
To open the list view, click in the side window and select List.
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This will change the map view to a list view. By default, the view shows all the buildings in the Dalux FM instance. This can be changed to show lots or estate. You can adjust what is displayed in the map view as well.
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In the list view, buildings/lots/estates can be opened by double-clicking on them. This opens a new window where data can be changed or added. If you wish to delete one or more of these, select them from the list view and click on the More menu. Then click on
Delete building/lot/estate.
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Edit or delete locations
Locations are managed from the Settings menu.
Go to Settings
General settings
Base data: 'Locations'.
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This opens a list view of all the locations on the project. It is then possible to double-click to open a location if data needs to be changed.
One or more locations can also be selected and deleted.
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Read more
You should now be familiar with how to use locations to create and manage buildings, lots, and estates.
If you want to learn more about adding drawings or models to your locations in Dalux FM, check out these articles:
How to Import Revit models to FM