Hello,
I was wondering if anyone had more details about the function of how the actual drone flight speed is calculated based on the image overlap, flight height and the user-defined slow/normal/fast?
Additionally, is there any information regarding how Pix4D capture controls the shutter speeds and ISO levels during missions to try and elevate motion blur?
Regards,
Jason.
Hi Jason!
Overlap is calculated based on the specific camera you are using and the height in which you select to fly your automated mission. Pix4Dcapture will calculate the footprint of one of your images using your selected camera’s focal length, sensor dimensions (pixels), camera angle, and the height that you select to fly your mission. Your image footprint is the area covered on the ground by one image.
Pix4D capture will adjust the distance between your adjacent flight lines depending on the sidelap percentage you select in the software. The way in which Pix4Dcapture collects front overlap will change depending on your flight speed and flight mode (iOS only).
If you are using an iOS device you can choose between two different flight modes:
Fast Mode (iOS & Android): Your camera will be triggered to take an image based on timelapse. This means your drone will take an image for every x amount of time that has passed since the last picture was taken.
Safe Mode (only iOS): If selected, Pix4Dcapture will upload GPS waypoint locations where the drone will fly to, stop, take a picture, and fly to the next waypoint where it will continue this process.
If you are flying in fast mode Pix4Dcapture will calculate how often (timelapse) the camera needs to take a picture based on your image footprint and the speed at which you have selected to fly your drone. The faster you fly your drone the faster your camera will be triggered in order to capture the same level of overlap collected flown at a lower speed. In Safe Mode, Pix4D will calculate at what distance each photo will need to be taken based on your image footprint and your selected front overlap setting. More overlap will result in closer waypoints and more frequent camera triggers.
Changing the camera settings in DJI GO, or DJI GO 4 should be effective in the Android app (only, not iOS for now) but it is not guaranteed as it was not extensively tested. It also depends on the drone, camera, and type of mission. The aperture and exposure time are automatically set by DJI but can be adjusted and should be taken into account. These settings impact the sharpness of the image. You can read our Knowledge-Base article on what camera parameters are adjusted by Pix4Dcapture HERE.
Cheers!
Josh