Bay Management Intermediate 6 min read

Designing Your Floor Plan

Use the visual bay designer to create a digital layout of your workshop

Designing Your Floor Plan

The bay designer is a visual canvas where you can create a digital representation of your workshop layout. This helps your team understand the workspace and makes job assignment intuitive.

Accessing the Bay Designer

  1. Go to Bay Management in your sidebar
  2. Click the Designer tab or Edit Layout button
  3. The canvas opens with your current layout (or empty for new setups)

bay-designer-empty.png - Empty bay designer canvas ready for creating a floor plan

Canvas Controls

Navigation

  • Pan - Click and drag on empty space to move around
  • Zoom - Use mouse wheel or pinch gestures to zoom in/out
  • Reset View - Click the home icon to return to default view

Toolbar

The toolbar provides quick access to common actions:

  • Add Bay - Create a new bay on the canvas
  • Select - Switch to selection mode
  • Delete - Remove selected items
  • Undo/Redo - Reverse or repeat actions
  • Save - Save your layout changes

bay-designer-toolbar.png - The bay designer toolbar with labeled buttons

Adding Bays

To add a bay to your floor plan:

  1. Click Add Bay in the toolbar
  2. Click on the canvas where you want to place it
  3. The bay appears with default settings
  4. Drag to reposition if needed

Bay Properties

Select a bay to edit its properties:

Property Description
Name Display name (e.g., "Bay 1", "Paint Booth")
Type Category of bay (Standard, Specialized, etc.)
Color Visual identifier on the canvas
Size Width and height dimensions
Capacity Number of items the bay can hold

bay-properties-panel.png - The bay properties panel showing editable fields

Arranging Your Layout

Moving Bays

  • Click and drag any bay to reposition it
  • Use arrow keys for precise nudging
  • Hold Shift for larger movements

Resizing Bays

  • Select a bay to show resize handles
  • Drag corners or edges to resize
  • Maintain aspect ratio by holding Shift

Alignment

For professional layouts:

  • Snap to Grid - Enable grid snapping for aligned placement
  • Align Tools - Select multiple bays and use align buttons
  • Distribute - Evenly space selected bays

bay-alignment.png - Multiple bays aligned in a row using the alignment tools

Adding Context Elements

Beyond bays, you can add reference elements:

Walls and Boundaries

Draw lines to represent walls, doors, or boundaries. This helps orient staff to the physical space.

Labels

Add text labels for areas like "Customer Waiting", "Parts Storage", or "Entry/Exit".

Zones

Group bays into zones with colored backgrounds. Useful for separating departments or work types.

bay-zones.png - Floor plan with colored zones separating different work areas

Saving Your Layout

Your layout saves automatically as you work. For manual saves:

  1. Click Save in the toolbar
  2. A confirmation appears when saved successfully

To revert unsaved changes:

  1. Click the menu icon
  2. Select Revert to Saved

Best Practices

  • Match reality - Keep your digital layout updated when physical changes occur
  • Use clear names - "Lift Bay 3" is better than "Bay C"
  • Color coding - Use consistent colors for bay types
  • Leave space - Don't overcrowd; leave room for walkways
  • Regular updates - Review and update your layout monthly

Mobile Considerations

The bay designer works on tablets but is optimized for desktop use. For the best experience:

  • Use a device with a larger screen
  • Connect a mouse for precise control
  • Save frequently when working on mobile