Litchi advice...

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Hey all,

I hoping i can explain this the best way to get everyone to understand. I've also attached an image. I'll be shooting a progression video for a construction site. A huge park. The land parameters is an odd shape and my struggle is creating the point of interest during my waypoint mission. If I place the poi in the center(ish) as i get to the long ends my camera angle is too far out making me miss land more beneath my quad. Im thinking maybe about splitting the land in 2 halves and putting a poi in the center of each. Im hoping though that the transition from the 1st poi to the 2nd will be smooth.

on another note; I also and doing an orbit which hasnt brought me difficulties but due to its shape i get a lot of woods during it. Perhaps raising my altitude may help. Im doing the flights at 150ft. Thoughts on my first question and my mission altitude? any advice would help. hopefully all this made sense.

thanks!
Capture.JPG
 
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Having covered close to 500 miles with my Phantom 3S flying under Litchi waypoint mode, I make bold to regard myself as a minor authority on the subject. Regarding your question about POI placement for optimal camera directionality during auto flights, may I suggest that you instead use the "Heading" slider to manually set the camera direction at each waypoint. This way you can ensure that the camera is oriented precisely as you intend, on arrival at each successive waypoint.

To maintain smooth transitions of camera orientation over the entire flight plan's course, try as much as possible to minimize the difference in camera's compass position between each successive waypoint, whereby you don't program in massive camera swings over comparatively short distances. Trial and error will improve your skill at making those changes in camera orientation as subtle as possible within the constraints of your flight plan's curvature.

Regarding altitude, I agree that 150 feet AGL is an optimal height that allows the camera to film a suitably wide field of view, without getting too close to the terrain where power lines could be a potential hazard. When flying over a new area that I haven't reconnoitered at ground level, I generally send my Phantom3S along the intended course at 246 feet AGL, with the camera pointed dead straight ahead fully aligned with the flight path direction, in order to clear any cellphone towers that may be in the area.

If that exploratory recon flight extends beyond signal range, then the gimbal should be tilted down upon takeoff, until but a tiny sliver of the horizon is visible at the top of the screen, so as to afford a better view of obstacle clearance directly beneath the craft. For flight plans reaching out beyond signal range, the "Gimbal Tilt" menu option in Mission Litchi Hub's flight plan pages, must be set to "Disable", in preparation for a one-time manual positioning of the camera's tilt (pitch), at the start of each flight.

Beyond signal range, Litchi will then ensure that the camera tilt remains as it was set when the craft first lifted off for that particular mission. Currently, Litchi CANNOT respond to Mission Hub programmed camera angle changes mid-flight, once beyond signal range. Mission Hub pre-programmed camera gimbal tilt variations are only implemented for as long as the craft remains within signal range of the operator.

With the positions of such tall obstacles marked as points of interest on the Litchi Mission Hub flight plan map, I then adjust the flight path to ensure adequate clearance, before launching subsequent flights at lower altitudes, and with the camera's horizontal direction set by means of the individual waypoint heading slider. I have found 150 feet to be the optimal flight altitude in urban areas, that affords crystal clear views of ground scenery, without sacrificing too much field of vision.
 
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I'm shooting this plot using Autopilot (which is now "DronePilot" I believe).

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For longer plots, you can't have a single focal point like a normal POI (with a round or square plot). You need to be able to control the camera movement more precisely as well as the drone movement. This is done via multiple focal points.

I've never used Litchi, but dollars to doughnuts, it has this capability.

Objective: I wanted to stay as close to the property as possible, so along the long edges you'll notice I utilize more of a dolly shot. And then as the drone rounds the corners it becomes more of a POI shot.

Here I did a quick-n-dirty render of the property featured in the screen shot and then uploaded it to show you the camera movement. It is sped up 5x to shrink file size and shorten the video.

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Was able to produce this video for the client:

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D
 
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