Matrice 210 RTK, XT2, & Pix4D

I have been trying to read through the community and find an answer to this and maybe I’m missing it, but I have the hardware/software above. I’m using an iPad (iOS) instead of our CrystalSky (Android) to run my mission so I can input the custom camera settings for the XT2. I read a post from Dan Yakir (dated July 2019) that Pix4D now triggers both the RGB and thermal lenses. But will my thermal data be affected by the custom camera setting I am using? I’m planning to fly a corridor at 200’ AGL with my custom camera for the RGB lens but I’m trying to figure out if my thermal images will be captured at the thermal default settings and my thermal output just won’t be as detailed? If that’s the case, would it make sense to do one mission using the RGB custom camera at 200’ and then a second flight using the Thermal custom camera at say 150’ or possibly closer for more detail?

I have the same setup (iPad, Matrice 210 with no RTK, XT2), and I’d do a test flight and verify that you can get pix4d capture to trigger the XT2. I have not been able to get this to work, and instead fly with the XT2 on interval capture mode from within the XT2 app. Unfortunately, the XT2 app needs to be restarted after the flight starts in pix4d and is prone to crashing, but this has still been the best solution for me. I’ve also had some success with setting the XT2 on interval capture and manually flying a slow grid pattern over smaller areas. I’d plan on separate flights if possible because of the problems with XT2 integration.

I would also use test flights to figure out what altitude makes sense for collecting the thermal data. It really depends on what you’re trying to see (and how much battery you have). You’re visualizing thermal radiation and it’s inherently lower-resolution than visible light.

You are correct in that the resolution of thermal cameras are inherently lower than RGB. This can make processing thermal data very difficult. As a result proper data acquisition is imperative. We recommend:

  • Have very high overlap: 90% front and side image overlap.
  • The images have been taken at a resolution of at least 640x480 .
  • The images do not suffer from motion blur . An increased flight speed may cause a blurred image.

Unfortunately, we do not offer support for the free PIX4Dcapture.

You may be able to find the answers you need in the online Troubleshooter, or in the documentation for Android or iOS.