I love the latest iOS update that brought a super simple pause & resume function to Pix4D capture. It works perfectly and I loved it using on our iOS tablet. However, what I don’t like is the iOS version of Pix4D itself (no KML import, no grouping of missions in a single project, etc. etc.) - and since the pretty awesome DJI CrystalSky monitor is capable of running Pix4D, I want to use it with the Android version.
On the Pix4D support page it says that when you hit save another mission consisting of the remaining mission should be created (this is so much more clunky than on the latest iOS release however…). I tried this on my CrystalSky and it indeed created a second mission but not where is should (so the remaining parts), but it simply duplicated and shifted my entire mission plan. I tried this several times, everytime the same. I used the latest Android release of Pix4D, also my DJI Matrice 210 RTK firmware is up to date.
Is this a known issue? And idea? Is there an ETA when Andoid receives the same pause & resume function as the iOS version?
Thank you for the feedback, I am glad that you like the new multi-battery feature on iOS.
On Android, although there is no distinct feature for resuming a mission that cannot be completed entirely because it was aborted or interrupted by taking over manual control, the incomplete portion is saved (a smaller grid mission with the remaining lines is created) so that it can be flown later e.g. after changing the battery or waiting for flying conditions to change (learn more).
In that case, it is recommended to deactivate the automatic synchronization that automatically starts when the mission is complete or interrupted (Abort button is tapped or pilot takes over manual control with the remote controller): Home screen > Settings > section General > uncheck the box Sync automatically when the mission ends. This might interfere with the resume option.
As far as I know, the change of behavior for the multi-battery mission is not in the short term plan. I have, however, forwarded your message to the team in charge to have a look at it.
I’m aware of that, and it wouldn’t be a problem if the remaining area would be delineated correctly - but on my CrystalSky the entire area (not just the remaining one) gets shifted somewhere else. I updated the link with my screenshot (it was broken apparently)…also here again: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vv9gkiov0a17npd/crystalsky_missionplan.png?dl=0
But sad to hear that a native mission resume function won’t come to Android anytime soon…I felt in love with it on the iOS.
Thank you for reposting the screenshot, this way I was able to see that you are referring to the Polygon mission.
The resume option is optimized for the single 2D grid missions and it is expected that the polygon mission will only be duplicated and shifted after pressing the Abort button. This applies to all Android devices, including CrystalSky monitor.
We recommend you to use the resume option with the single grid mission or to manually move and resize the remaining part of the polygon mission so it corresponds to the part that was not flown.
I had the same issue occur this week that Ekrem experienced. I too was flying a Matrice 210RTK in a grid mission that was going to require more than one battery change. When we aborted the mission to change batteries, the 210 went into Loiter mode waiting for its next command. I selected Return Home, which it did. What it failed to do is create a new flight plan for the remaining part of the mission. Instead it created a whole new grid next to the original one.
We had tested this functionality the prior week (but on a different Android tablet) and it worked as it was suppose to. Afterwards I discovered that on this tablet the app was set to “Synch automatically when mission ends”. Could this have been the cause? If so, I would think the priority should be to create the flight plan for the remaining part of the mission and allow the aircraft to get on the ground before trying to synch hundreds of images.
From a user experience perspective, if you are making multi-battery missions using the Android version of Pix4Dcapture, I will suggest you deactivate the automatic synchronization so that you can operate in an optimized way. You can synchronize images manually later when the mission is finished.
To do so, you can open your project and tap DOWNLOAD IMAGES.
Note that multi-battery flight can only be done with Grid missions using Android version of Pix4Dcapture. More info here.
The issue you described has been reported in the case of the user taps too quickly on GO HOME after ABORT when operating a multi-battery mission, the recalculation of the remaining part of the flight is not done properly and it fails. it will create a new grid beside the first one.
Consequently, when tapping ABORT, It is necessary to wait for a few seconds that the recalculation of the remaining area to cover occur before tapping GO HOME.
The synchronization of the pictures and the recalculation of the remaining area to cover are not linked together and the synchronization should not lead to the issue you encountered in any case.
Thank you for your prompt response. We waited 15-20 seconds in hover after executing ABORT and nothing seem to be happening. We also tried letting the battery level get low enough that it automatically ABORTed the mission and that didn’t create a flight plan for the remaining part of the mission either. That seems to be in line from what you stated in your response. To be clear, you must allow Capture to create the flight plan for the remaining part of the mission before executing GO HOME. Typically how long should it take Pix4Dcapture to create the flight plan for the remaining part of the mission after it is aborted?
It should take a few seconds maximum.
I would suggest you be sure you are updated with the latest versions of Ctrl+DJI and Pix4Dcapture so as the latest drone firmware.
If using the CrystalSky, you can install the latest APKs of our application on it using the procedure here.
The behavior you are reporting with such a long time to recalculate the remaining area when tapping ABORT has not been reported so far and I would assume that a lag occurred at some point and the continuity of the multi-battery mission was broken. Those one time bug can occur from time to time and in case of unexpected behavior, we suggest to interrupt the mission and start again the flight plan from scratch.
Have you been able to reproduce the issue? How big is your area to cover?
Best,
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