Flying through large steel buildings

Alec200 · Mar 25, 2017

I still can't decide whether to do this or not. So I would like to throw it out there for some more opinions.
I have a long term project producing footage of a retail/leisure park development in construction. So I'm always looking to new filming/photography techniques to keep things interesting for the customer.
I've so far produced:
Panoramas from bracketed DNG
Hyperlapse video from JPEG stills
Time lapse video from JPEG stills
Speed ramping longer videos
The standard video techniques - orbits, rising spinner, low passes over operating machinery etc
The site is at a stage where the largest building is at the steel framework stage. Massive amounts of space inside, no roof. Although the roof may start to be added soon. Ideally, I'd like to flying around inside, possibly even making a transition from outside to inside in a single take (and from inside out).
Be interested to hear what people think, what settings they would use (ATTI/GPS/Vision sensors/return to home set to hover/where to arm the craft etc etc).
Here's a cropped still from my last video to show the structure. The building now extends down the right parallel to the road past the white van.

Richard R · Mar 25, 2017

I wouldn't!!! First, all of that steel is going to mess up your compass. Could easily interfere with the RC signal and video feed so you could wind up flying blind and out of control. Maintaining good GPS could also be a problem and wind in and through a structure like that could be really complex. However, it you do decide to chance it, make sure that you have your "signal lost" setting set to hover. Don't want the aircraft trying to climb up through a steel girder

Edit: Just took a closer look at the picture. May not be as bad as I first thought, but still chancy. And my comment about signal lost is still, IMHO, the right thing.

HitFactor · Mar 25, 2017

If you have access to the site can't you walk your bird into the building, fire it up, and check what all the sensors indicate? Working with values is usually better than opinions.

Alec200 · Mar 25, 2017

HitFactor said:
If you have access to the site can't you walk your bird into the building, fire it up, and check what all the sensors indicate? Working with values is usually better than opinions.

That's a good plan. I have free access to the site whenever I want it. In my ideal world I would fly Tripod Mode line of sight through the building with speed ramping in post.

Here are my first two videos. Not great but my 3rd is now complete and I'm really pleased with it. I won't post that up yet as it's not been signed off.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src=" " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src=" " frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

FunN4lo · Mar 25, 2017

I wanted to fly under some metal stadium bleachers. That sent my compass crazy and the craft was almost non-controllable. I would fear that building would do the same, although being much larger you might get away with it in some areas. Power up with out props rotating and move it close to the structure and watch sensors like others suggested.

I fly a large construction site like yours every 2 weeks. My client likes a slow, unedited fly over with the camera pointing straight down.

And they also love a mini map of the site. I take straight down pics of the site and stitch together for them. They have a large format printer, and the most recent photo is posted on the office trailer wall. They can look at the big stitch on a computer and zoom in on any areas of interest.

Alec200 · Mar 25, 2017

I will definitely do some testing within the structure before flying.
Is there a setting I can use that would disable GPS and the compass and just use the visual positioning system. I don't think there is but thought I should ask!
I too have made some maps using Drone deploy. They look awesome in many people's opinion. Despite being mapped from 90m, there's so much detail available and printed in A1 they look superb. The developers r primarily interested in the crowd pleasing videos for the general public which is a shame in a way but it does mean I get to explore plenty of filming and photography techniques.

Kristina Fowler · Nov 11, 2017

Alec200 said:
I will definitely do some testing within the structure before flying.
Is there a setting I can use that would disable GPS and the compass and just use the visual positioning system. I don't think there is but thought I should ask!
I too have made some maps using Drone deploy. They look awesome in many people's opinion. Despite being mapped from 90m, there's so much detail available and printed in A1 they look superb. The developers r primarily interested in the crowd pleasing videos for the general public which is a shame in a way but it does mean I get to explore plenty of filming and photography techniques.

I'd like input on this as well. I'd like to know if you can disable the compass entirely and go with GPS only - and fly from one GPS point to another GPS point. (P4P)

nwairphotos · Nov 11, 2017

FunN4lo said:
I wanted to fly under some metal stadium bleachers. That sent my compass crazy and the craft was almost non-controllable. I would fear that building would do the same, although being much larger you might get away with it in some areas. Power up with out props rotating and move it close to the structure and watch sensors like others suggested.

I fly a large construction site like yours every 2 weeks. My client likes a slow, unedited fly over with the camera pointing straight down.

And they also love a mini map of the site. I take straight down pics of the site and stitch together for them. They have a large format printer, and the most recent photo is posted on the office trailer wall. They can look at the big stitch on a computer and zoom in on any areas of interest.

I've been working on adding construction progress photos to my drone services, which has mainly been still photography. I'm just curious why construction progress clients might want video and why a series of stills of the same are wouldn't serve the same purpose. (Not that I'm disputing the benefit. I just want to understand and possibly offer the same). Thanks.

Speedmeister · Nov 11, 2017

GPS might need compass in order to work properly I would think. Flying in ATTI mode uses barometer only.

John Locke · Nov 12, 2017

Kristina Fowler said:
I'd like input on this as well. I'd like to know if you can disable the compass entirely and go with GPS only - and fly from one GPS point to another GPS point. (P4P)

No. GPS is useless without the compass to tell it where north is. You have no benefit with 15 satellites locked if you have no compass. When compass errors occur you'll be flying in ATTI mode, immediately. If the wind isn't bad, flying ATTI isn't difficult to manage, assuming you have trained yourself how to fly in ATTI competently. If you have never used ATTI, or you are a novice at ATTI, you will likely over compensate and potentially crash if you're in close proximity of something, like a steel beam, wall or tree. IMO, everyone should train and practice flying in ATTI, adequately so you know how to calmly navigate without help from GPS+compass in P mode. This will prepare you for times that you get a compass error (automatic ATTI mode) so you can bring the craft back to home and land, like it's no big deal.