Do the photos i import into Pix4D need to be taken from a drone or from a certain height? Or can i take pictures of my stock piles from the ground - provide overlap in each picture and import them into the software? If this is possible could someone please link me to a step by step?
Dear Jason,
Photos can be captured from any platform, UAV’s are simply one possible option. You can capture images of your stock piles from the ground. Given that you will be capturing oblique imagery in this scenario, please consider watching the first 15 minutes of the following webinar, which addresses best practices when capturing oblique imagery: https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/202561599.
Secondly, the ultimate goal will be to produce accurate volume calculations. Pix4Dmapper can incorporate a handful of sources of geolocation information, including image geotags, ground control points, and Scale and Orient constraints. For the most accurate results possible, please consider incorporating survey-grade GPS ground control points. You can find detailed information about incorporating ground control points at https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/202560239.
If you do not have access to ground control, you can incorporate a Scale and Orient constraint instead. You can find detailed information about implementing Scale and Orient constraints at https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/205360375 and https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/205360385.
Last, but not least, measuring the volume of an object in Pix4Dmapper can be accomplished with the Stockpile object. You can find detailed information about executing a stockpile measurement at https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/202560739.
If you are just getting started, please also consider watching the first three webinars for a more robust understanding of Pix4Dmapper’s fundamentals at https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/202561519.
Best,
Andrew