linear and vertical only flight plan for taking photos of a build facade

PIX4Dcapture
1

Hi, is it possible to use the Pix4D capture app to create a flight plan to take photos of the external facade of a building?

I need the drone (Marvic Pro) to basically move horizontally at (say 20m height) from PointA to PointB (parallel to facade) and then drop 1m below PointA and repeat the process until the whole facade is captured.

Does the app allow flight plan for such use?

2

Hi Karl,

To reconstruct a building facade with a flight plan such as the one you describe, we recommend to fly a free flight mission vertically (see Which type of mission to choose article). For more information about free flight mission please refer to the Android or iOS article.

Note that the drone cannot fly at different altitudes during a planned/autonomous mission (polygon, grid, double grid, circular) as it is fixed during the flight.
However, you could create one project and plan several orbital missions at different altitudes (cylinder image acquisition). They will be stored in the same project in Pix4Dcapture. 

The double grid mission is also a good option and you can adjust the camera angle (tilting). 

Another last alternative could be the simple grid mission with an oblique camera angle and the drone facing the center of the grid. 

  • Forward (default): Camera is facing forward into the direction of the flight. This means that the camera will always be facing in the same direction as the drone is moving.
  • Center: Camera is facing to the center of the grid mission. This means that the camera will change the direction it is facing throughout the flight in order to always face the center of the grid.

You could use the face to center option if you, for instance, need to capture information from facades of objects in the area you want to map. Ideally your main point of interest should be in the middle of the grid. For more information:

  • Android: The option is called Face (learn more).
  • iOS: The option is called_ Look at grid’s center_ (learn more).

Hope this helps!

1 Like
3

Are there any 3rd party apps that allow you to fly a vertical grid?

1 Like
4

Hi Karl,

do you have PiX4D simulator, where I can practice the mock of the free flight. please advise.