Litchi Mission - Recommendation for Image Setup P4V2

[MachDiamond]

Having new house constructed on virgin ground, would like to document the entire process by executing a Litchi mission to capture stitched imagery just above the tree line at ~100ft confined to the property area on a repeated basis to then compile a time-laps video.

The number one rule is that my activities do not interrupt construction activities except to perhaps coordinate on dates and times when captures are taken - midday lunch hour where construction activity subsides and relative lighting is consistent is the plan.

There's a number of logistical hoops that may temper feasibility, but the builder is a really good guy - intent is to do this as a demonstration not promotional in any form because I'm currently not Part-107 compliant but plan to be so maybe that represents next step?

Thoughts on the subject appreciated particularly with respects to Litchi setup recommendations to workflow to achieve stellar final results worth the effort and time.

 

[MachDiamond]

Dropping the multi-image stitch requirement given the following reference and thinking about adding orbit video - not sure how that will result in time-lapse...

 

[REStewart]

First, welcome to the forum (a little late I know) and thanks for posting your question. If you want the time exposure to show the building coming to existence from the ground up the shots should be at equal intervals from the same location. Always take off from the same spot then keep a record of the GPS coordinates, AGL and have some unchanging reference to keep the drone pointed in that direction and the camera angle constant. Stitching together short segments of an orbit video always taking the same path sounds like a lot of work but would really be interesting, especially if you could normalize the lighting conditions. Know my comments are a bit off topic but hope they help. Out of curiosity where did you get that chart? Don't think I have seen it before. And finally be careful you and your builder don't get in trouble by unintentionally using it commercially; that's really easy to do even when you don't think you're being commercial. The 107 requires some serious study but is worth it. Thanks again for a good question.

 

[MachDiamond]

Thanks for the reply! The chart was quickly generated in CAD after visiting the DJI web site for P4 camera specs.

Totally agree on datum setup and calibrated approach - I have time to plan and once defined it will be cool to stay disciplined to follow this thru. Stitching does not appeal to me so hybrid mix of repeated stills and video is likely.

Litchi is such a fun tool and the P4V2 has been sitting idle begging for something to do. Appreciate the input and hope to share the journey particularly with respect to technical hoops - tomorrow I make a recon mission w/ M2E in hand to establish flight constraints - still have several weeks before ground work begins...

 

[DonWiley]

Setup a straight-line mission with photos being taken at the waypoints. Use the photos as the basis for your video, set each for 3-4 frames on a 24 fps video recording. Take photos daily, or as the building schedule may dictate.

As previously stated, always takeoff from the same spot (spray paint the ground or a rock for a reference point) to get the best continuity.

You can also setup the waypoint mission to take a short video (2-3) at each waypoint and then stitch the videos together. You'll end up with a separate video for each waypoint when completed. You could consider doing a quarter-frame with 4 videos on screen at once.

In either case, be sure to put a 3-5 second pause at the waypoint before the picture/video is taken to give the aircraft time to stabilize at the waypoint.

 

[MachDiamond]

Thanks for the tips, DW particularly with regards to pause time for GPS stabilization...is this a normal measure one should factor when capturing waypoints? Asking because a tree map of property using hand-held device came out wonky for several known waypoint relationships thinking similar reason e.g. weak signal conditions too quick to capture waypoint upon arrival...?

 

[DonWiley]

Thanks for the tips, DW particularly with regards to pause time for GPS stabilization...is this a normal measure one should factor when capturing waypoints? Asking because a tree map of property using hand-held device came out wonky for several known waypoint relationships thinking similar reason e.g. weak signal conditions too quick to capture waypoint upon arrival...?

It's a normal measure I use to get repeatable results, wind can play havoc on stability, the drone can easily compensate, but it may take a few seconds to do it, hence adding the delay. With Litchi the weak signal (between Tx and aircraft) won't play an issue as long as the option is set to continue the mission on loss of signal is set.