i tried to post this before so apologies if my previous post is still being moderated and this becomes a dupe. Anyhow, newb p3p owner, first post. I've been asked to film a stretch of river as the owner wishes to promote his fishing on the beat. As this stretch has a few bends and curves, I thought waypoint would be the way to go. I'd like to film two angles as we journey down the river - one looking downstream, and one that looks upstream. Would it work to do two passes using the same waypoints, but for me to modify the second pass so that I can rotate the camera so it's looking upstream but otherwise flies the same waypoints? Apologies if my tech terms aren't quite right - any advice gratefully received

You are able to do this no problem, you have to fly the mission first and save the way points along the way. Then when you fly it again you just set the way point parameters so the camera is free and then you can  yaw any direction you want along the route.

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-3-25 19:57
You are able to do this no problem, you have to fly the mission first and save the way points along ...

Thanks Ken

DJI-Ken Posted at 2016-3-25 15:57
You are able to do this no problem, you have to fly the mission first and save the way points along ...

Y'all must be from the south!

What Ken mentions is correct - it will certainly work that way.

However, I would suggest setting up two different waypoint missions.

When you activate a waypoint mission you have choices for how the camera operates. The "Free" choice mentioned will allow you full manual control over the camera. There are two other options (I forget the exact names) - one allows you to have the camera facing the direction of flight. The third option - my favorite - automatically positions the camera to where it was when the waypoint was recorded.

This allows you to frame your shots when setting up the waypoint. In between waypoints the software will interpolate position and provide very smooth camera movements.

If you are skilled with moving the camera joysticks and can get smooth movement on your own, great. I find the software does things much smoother than I can do by hand. Using the "position when recorded" also allows for consistently repeatable missions. No need to remember where you positioned the camera last time you flew the mission.

So you set up one mission for one direction, using the camera angles you record with the waypoint. Then you do the same with a second mission, with a new set of camera angles. The beauty of this is, you can always run either mission again (and again), and choose to have the camera in "free" mode.

mjlstudios@yaho Posted at 2016-3-26 18:19
Y'all must be from the south!

Ha, thanks. I just noticed and fixed that

Hello everyone,

I love the way-point feature, but my Phantom3 doesn't seem to keep the altitude settings. I flew a mission from start to finish, using about 11 way points, 1 thru 8 of which were all the same altitude, 9 and 10 were  set much higher to clear a tree line, and the last one was back at home point. When I started the mission, the Phantom3 started to descend to an altitude below what I had recorded when setting up the mission. I had my fingers ready and cancelled the mode, but I was wondering why it did this? Had I not cancelled the mode, it would have tried to descend into the ground.

Is it because the altitude was below 15 feet? I was trying to fly down a dirt road to give the perspective that a car would have driving it.

Use the Litchi app.

GQ. Posted at 2016-3-31 23:42
Use the Litchi app.

Litchi app? I will check it out. Never heard of it. Does it affect flight record data for DJI GO?

DonViper Posted at 2016-3-31 17:10
Litchi app? I will check it out. Never heard of it. Does it affect flight record data for DJI GO?

Its a third party app that many people download. I know I accounted for this cost the moment I purchased my phantom. Hopefully you purchased the phantom with some discount so that after the expensive Litchi app purchase, you bring it in line with MSRP value.

The app is basically like DJI offloading responsibility to a third party. They can easily do the pre-planning waypoints capability with DJI go, but choose not to offer this capability and opt for third party developers to make such apps.

As you may no doubt realize, the current waypoints function in DJI go app is essentially worthless. Who flies to a location to 'record' a position first? You can waste an entire battery just doing this?

This was my first flight using Litchi App.

Hmmm....yes after I flew the route to record the waypoints, and then did a return to home and landed. Then loaded the saved waypoint path I just recorded after I launched and as soon as hit the apply....it started to descend toward the ground, slowly mind you, but had I not canceled it, it would have hit the ground and tipped over

pgrover516 Posted at 2016-4-1 00:10
did you launch from the same home point each time? If I understand correctly the altitude of waypo ...

Well it is quite the same. If you add the home point altitude to the waypoint altitude you will have the actual altitude. The data on the tablet indicate the exact altitude exactly like the DJI GO show.
With Litchi you can also set up your flight with your computer loved to your Mission Hub account. It is fantastic to use.

pgrover516 Posted at 2016-4-1 09:03
I understand what you are saying but my point is if you take a mission you have created and launch  ...

Thank you.
If you create your mission on the Litchi Mission Hub the altitude specs will be exactly the same when you execute it from the ground.

GQ. Posted at 2016-4-1 20:32
This was my first flight using Litchi App.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udy8u-Zhi2g

Very nice video! So before I purchase the app, for $20 US, which I don't think is too bad actually, I just want to be absolutely sure it will work. I did some very crude research while at work after you mentioned it, and found a few people that said they had problems with it working with their drone. $20 isn't a lot of money at all, but I'd hate to waste what I could spend on (2) 6 packs of good IPA!

I have only have a few VERY SHORT videos published to my YouTube channel.






Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it!

pgrover516 Posted at 2016-4-1 22:12
The Litchi app is awesome, you will love it

Cool thanks! I will definitely get it today.

DonViper Posted at 2016-4-1 09:57
Very nice video! So before I purchase the app, for $20 US, which I don't think is too bad actually ...

You will love to use Litchi App. Yes it can happen that some people have minor problems. Isn't the case with DJI Go App ?

quaddron3 Posted at 2016-4-1 00:35
Its a third party app that many people download. I know I accounted for this cost the moment I pur ...

"As you may no doubt realize, the current waypoints function in DJI go app is essentially worthless. Who flies to a location to 'record' a position first? You can waste an entire battery just doing this?"

Litchi may be a better waypoint app with more features. But the DJI waypoint mode is definitely not worthless.

With or without the ability to set up waypoints in advance, I would still fly the mission to set things up "manually." Camera angles, exact position, best altitude... you cannot reliably do these things on a map. You have to do it in person.

Depending on one's individual needs, DJI GO may be more than enough.

jrm11 Posted at 2016-4-1 12:40
"As you may no doubt realize, the current waypoints function in DJI go app is essentially worthles ...

How about having both options? Pre-planning and fly-on-location-to-record.

I disagree anyway. You can go on location to 'get a feel' for camera angles and all that stuff. But if you are flying a 50 waypoint mission, I think some of the positions are self explanatory. There is no need to waste one whole battery flying to every waypoint to make sure something is good, especially if the waypoint is right next to the last one. You kinda get a point. But to use DJI Go, you will need to fly to ALL positions.

Take for instance someone flying waypoints for land survey or photogrammetry. They set the camera at 90deg angle facing down and they fly. Noted you can get automated apps to do this like Pix4D, but suppose they program this manually. They take pictures at constant position intervals. I think it is very self explanatory in terms of camera angles. With DJI Go, they will make you go to every position. What a waste of time. You probably can't even set up the whole mission with one battery charge interchanging flying and app interaction to 'save position'.

To each their own.

quaddron3 Posted at 2016-4-1 12:45
How about having both options? Pre-planning and fly-on-location-to-record.

I disagree anyway. You ...

Absolutely. Both options would be great.  (Although I disagree about framing a shot - I don't think it can be done reliably without looking through the camera itself).

A while ago I suggested to DJI that they allow the ability to edit waypoints after they are created. It is a major limitation of GO that you must re-create an entirely new mission to make even a minor change.

I am not claiming that GO comes close to any third party alternative for features. But GO is free and does do the job. It isn't "worthless."

If you generally fly 50 waypoints and need those extra features, then Litchi is for you. Considering the 500m radius limitation for waypoint missions,  I would be surprised if most users regularly fit that many waypoints into a mission.

All I am claiming is that GO _might_ fit the bill. Since everyone already has GO, it probably makes more sense to try that first and see if it does what you need. No reason to write off GO as "worthless" and drop money on a third party app without first trying what you already have. At worst, it will allow you to better appreciate the extra features of third party software and allow you to choose the correct alternative based on what features you actually need.

jrm11 Posted at 2016-4-1 12:55
Absolutely. Both options would be great.  (Although I disagree about framing a shot - I don't think ...

Depends what you do.

Even with litchi and preplanning you can edit on the fly. The mission is right there, you can program another camera angle on the app after you raise the bird to verify camera angles on site. Or you can change camera angle in flight.

DJI won't allow you to 'modify' the waypoints on DJI go. Their entire reason for forcing you to fly to location first is probably to reduce liability and ensure that this position is absolutely collision prone and obstacle free, because evidently you flew there first. So they will probably NEVER let you modify it like you suggested because liability is probably their primary concern here.

Why? If they let you modify your position, then people will just 'save' a bunch of random positions and then modify them to other missions. Basically it will make it work like pre-planning, which is something they are desperately avoiding. So it won't happen I don't think.

500m is lifted.

For me, Go doesn't fit the bill with waypoints. I can see why they did it, because there may be discrepancy between programmed GPS position based on mapping, vs GPS guided position of the drone. You may be a bit off and there may be errors in the map of key features. Still, pre-planning is an important function of groundstation programming of autonomous waypoints flying.

quaddron3 Posted at 2016-4-1 13:05
Depends what you do.

Even with litchi and preplanning you can edit on the fly. The mission is righ ...

"500m is lifted."

I never looked closely at Litchi because a)I use iOS  b)the other features you mentioned are not essential enough *to me* to pay for 3rd party software c)I am leary about using 3rd party software for autonomous flight

The 500m radius is, however, my big problem with GO. This severely limits the functionality of waypoints. I use waypoints for some projects on my own rural property and 1500ft from the home point doesn't let me reach my property line. It doesn't seem like DJI hss any plans to lift this limitation.

With the current P3 firmware, will Litchi (iOS) will allow waypoint missions to exceed that 500m radius? If this is the case, then you just made a sale for them. (BTW - just looked at the Litchi website.. no mention that I can as to whether the DJI 500m limitation can be worked around.)

Also noticed that Waypoint altitude in Litchi is "relative to the elevation of the aircraft where it took off." This seems to be the same as DJI's home point. Makes sense, but it should clear up some earlier confusion in this topic.

Not to derail this any further, but does Litchi allow for "live" editing/saving of waypoints? The sparse instructions all seem to indicate offline creation/editing of waypoints. Can you actually fly to a waypoint and hit "update with current data" or similar?  I agree that offline editing is a great feature, but live creation (as in DJI GO) or ability to make edits when the bird actually gets there is just as important. Otherwise you are just guessing at position and camera angle, hoping to get it right.

jrm11 Posted at 2016-4-1 16:14
"500m is lifted."

I never looked closely at Litchi because a)I use iOS  b)the other features you m ...

I don't know. Are you talking about 500m altitude or 500m horizontal radius from your position?

I never used DJI go (or litchi for that matter) requiring areas bigger than that so I don't know of any limitations.

Are you sure its not in the settings? You can actually set up in DJI go settings, the maximum flight altitude and also definte a "distance limit".

I am not aware of Litchi having a 500m limit with waypoints but could be wrong.

quaddron3 Posted at 2016-4-2 11:21
I don't know. Are you talking about 500m altitude or 500m horizontal radius from your position?

I  ...

500m radius limit from home position on waypoint missions. Not altitude.

I have some acreage in a rural area that I like to use as the subject of waypoint missions. The DJI go limits me to 500m - approx 1500 ft - distance from home point. That isn't enough for me to fly the perimeter of the property. I don't know if that limit is a "firmware" thing or if third party apps are able to work around it. That item is my one big problem with GO and it would be worth the price of a third-party app to get around it.

This conversation actually has me looking at other options. Right now it seems that Autopilot is the best choice (considering I am using iOS). From what I can tell, it has more options that Litchi (iOS version). The developers also confirmed to me that Autopilot is NOT subject to the 500m radius restriction, so it will solve my issue.

Of course, the current firmware apparently doesn't allow RTH on a signal loss so that is an issue with third party apps. Litchi does seem to have an advantage in that it will continue the mission. I may hold off on purchase until that bug is corrected.

jrm11 Posted at 2016-4-2 15:00
500m radius limit from home position on waypoint missions. Not altitude.

I have some acreage in a ...

I don't use DJI Go's waypoints as it is essentially worthless to me. But I don't think there is a limit on litchi though. I never took it out that far, but people have done waypoints mission that go out for a few km even to the point they lose signal with the controller and it returns home safely. Search for youtube videos. Plenty of people have used waypoints a few km away from them. That should hopefully cover your property unless you have a few thousand acres.

I think ios Autopilot waypoints only work when you have signal. If you lose signal, it returns home. With litchi, it doesn't matter if it loses signal. It continues on its mission.

To me Litchi is superior for that reason alone. It also costs less.

Some people might survey a large acreage of forest with a lot of trees. They may very well expect to lose signal in some parts of the mission behind all those trees, but that is a requirement to do the job. With litchi, it will complete the mission. WIth Autopilot, it won't.

For me, I purchased the P3 after having reviewed its operation. I was really bummed about how DJI Go's waypoints needed you to fly to location first. That was almost a deal breaker for me until I learned about Litchi. I already factored in that I needed Litchi or something similar when I purchased my drone, so I just begrudgingly purchased the rather expensive program. Its actually one of my most expensive app purchases as most other apps, even huge games from major studios cost like $5. The only reason it wasn't the most expensive was because I purchased a GPS navigation app. But Litchi or waypoints or any other variant, is up there.

quaddron3 Posted at 2016-4-5 01:55
I don't use DJI Go's waypoints as it is essentially worthless to me. But I don't think there is a l ...

I ended up getting Autopilot and am learning its use now.

Yes, Litchi has some advantages on waypoints. You are correct that Litchi will complete the mission on signal loss. AP will RTH (once the firmware bug is fixed). That is a big advantage of Litchi. AP also has its advantages, along with many more modes (iOS version).

AP apparently uses their own system for waypoints. The mission is in the app, not in the bird. So it does need connection to function. That isn't an issue for me as my flights are all LOS and I have had no signal issues. Setting up those long distance, out of range missions seems very cool, but it is just not my thing.

As far as GO... I still think it is very useful for waypoints. I actually LIKE the feature where you must first fly to the waypoints. Before I purchased AP, I made sure it allowed me to do the same. Yes, I have already set up several missions using the map on my iPad. That's a great feature that both AP and Litchi share. But I also know that it is only a best guess - when I fly the mission there will be many changes until I get exactly what I want. Being able to position the aircraft exactly where you want it and clicking a single button to save the waypoint is critical (for me).

Being able to watch the video offline and make offline adjustments to the waypoint is a very welcome luxury. DJI GO doesn't even let you see the waypoint mission when you are offline (at least that's the case when you are more than 500m from the waypoint start).

Neither software is going to break the bank. I still believe that most people should learn and use GO first. It likely fits the needs of most people. When they run into limitations (like I did with the 500M radius) then it makes sense to explore the options.

Litchi and AP both seem to be fine apps. For my needs, AP was the better choice. Many of the features (and the much more robust iOS offering) sealed the deal. It's great that there are choices. I'm looking forward to putting it through its paces this weekend.