Creating Complex Waypoint Flight Plans for The Air 3 and the Mavic 3

[Conservative Nihilist]

I have Air 3 and Mini 4 Pro, and soon Air 3S I don't see they are compatible with Litchi.

This is correct. The Air 3 and Mavic 3 family of drones are not directly compatible with Lichi, BUT the conversion utility created by DJ Barris makes it possible to transcribe saved Litchi waypoint missions into DJI Fly format waypoint missions whereby waypoint missions can be created with Litchi, then converted to DJI Fly waypoint flight plans that WILL be compatible with the Air 3, and Mavic 3 drones.

Whether or not the Air 3S can also fly such converted waypoint flight plans in DJI Fly remains to be seen once that model is released today, October 15th, 2024.

 

[Wavepilot Aerial]

Perhaps someone knowledgeable in this thread can help me convert a Litchi waypoint flight to a Mavic 3 Pro waypoint flight using Wes Barris's Litchi to DJI Fly converter. I have successfully downloaded Wes's converted KMZ file, but when trying to import it into the DJI Fly app my DJI RC, I can't find the "waypoint" folder in the Android directory as he instructs. There is a mention of enabling USB debugging to find the "waypoint" directory, but I can't find that option either. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

DJ Barris can be reached at the Litchi forum and he will be able to address any questions that arise in the use of the waypoint mission translator he created. This is the link to his page at that forum, which I strongly advise that you join to benefit from the wealth of knowledge made available there by the developers of Litchi and other knowledgeable users of that versatile product.

wesbarris

I have been flying using Litchi since 2017. I primarily use Litchi to capture video using waypoint missions with smooth turns. I have created several web applications to augment Litchi missions. I use DaVinci Resolve to edit the captured video into its final form.

forum.flylitchi.com

 

[Wavepilot Aerial]

DJ Barris can be reached at the Litchi forum and he will be able to address any questions that arise in the use of the waypoint mission translator he created. This is the link to his page at that forum, which I strongly advise that you join to benefit from the wealth of knowledge made available there by the developers of Litchi and other knowledgeable users of that versatile product.

wesbarris

I have been flying using Litchi since 2017. I primarily use Litchi to capture video using waypoint missions with smooth turns. I have created several web applications to augment Litchi missions. I use DaVinci Resolve to edit the captured video into its final form.

forum.flylitchi.com

Thanks, Conservative Nihilist. I just posted on the Litchi Forum.

 

[riterb97]

Just a few minutes ago I stumbled on a waypoint creation utility that allows owners of DJI Fly-based drones to create highly complex waypoint flight plans on their laptop or desktop and then transfer such waypoint sequences to the dedicated RC Pro Controller. The free version of this utility greatly simplifies the process of creating waypoint missions for DJI Fly-based drones, and the $15 monthly subscription version adds several more useful and time-saving functionalities.

Log in

Above is the website offering this groundbreaking waypoint creation tool for DJI Fly, and below is the link to a YouTube video published by the college students who created this versatile product that many newer DJI drone owners will find immensely useful. Even the gimbal tilt angle can be customized for each waypoint with this new product, and that is a step beyond the capabilities of Litchi, which only works with DJI GO4 and earlier drones.

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Virtually all the drone flying I do is waypoint missions, and the main reason I haven't thus far been inclined to buy a DJI Air 3 has been the complicated user interface that was the only option available for creating waypoint flight plans directly on the RC Pro controller. Now that highly detailed waypoint flight plans can be created on a laptop and then transposed into a usable form on the RC controller which can then upload the waypoint sequence to the drone before takeoff, I might bite the bullet and buy an Air 3.

I am curious to hear whether other visitors to this forum have ever encountered this time-saving waypoint-generating utility, and if so, how their experience has been in flying missions created with this method. Either way, this is an amazing product whose time has come, and whose introduction will surely win over many older drone owners who have been toying with the idea of adding an Air 3 or Mavic 3 to their drone fleet.

I have tried it and delete it soon after. It's a very basic program with a lot of short comings. I will not trust my waypoint flights with the date from this program. I also thought it's an excellent idea, but that was it. But be your own judge rather.

Regards

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

I have tried it and delete it soon after. It's a very basic program with a lot of short comings. I will not trust my waypoint flights with the date from this program. I also thought it's an excellent idea, but that was it. But be your own judge rather.

Regards

I'm afraid I agree with your findings, Riter. My enthusiasm for this product also waned as soon as it dawned on me that it is NOT a waypoint flight planning utility as suggested by its name, but is purely and exclusively a MAPPING utility for creating Orthomosaic and 3D maps of a localized area.

While I am interested in 3D mapping and will try my hand at that genre of drone operations eventually, my primary interest in all drones, for now, is flying long waypoint missions that typically travel over 6 miles from the launch point since BVLOS flights are legal where I reside.

Mapping with drones is an entirely different operation from autonomous waypoint mission planning. Any drone-related product whose advertisement fails to make the distinction between mapping and waypoint flying is engaging in deceptive advertising. The only reason I decided not to delete this entire discussion thread has been to see whether I have missed something obvious, such that another forum contributor might point out how to fly actual waypoint missions with this product.

 

[Facherty]

I feel that the Litchi Mission Utilities site is the best way for me to deploy waypoint missions. Clearly Litchi itself is never going to run on the Air 3, despite the Air 3 being able to store the waypoints on its internal memory.

Unfortunately, DJI has provided no real substitute for Litchi to allow an easy user interface to make and preview programmed flights. The idea of flying the route first, capturing waypoints, seems silly: without an easy way to edit the waypoints to include actions and Points of Interest, it is no fun at all.

In contrast, Litchi allows editing of all the key parameters in the mission, and via other utilities you can preview the mission on Google Earth. Unfortunately, you will be left with a great mission that the Air 3 will never fly.

That's where Litchi Mission Utilities comes in: use Litchi Mission to DJI Fly or Pilot 2 Waypoints. This tool re-creates the mission using DJI's instruction set, and allows you to replace a DJI limited "mission" with your carefully crafted and rehearsed mission.

Perhaps best of all, it's free - a donation is asked for, and that's it.

 

[Droning on and on...]

I feel that the Litchi Mission Utilities site is the best way for me to deploy waypoint missions. Clearly Litchi itself is never going to run on the Air 3, despite the Air 3 being able to store the waypoints on its internal memory.

Unfortunately, DJI has provided no real substitute for Litchi to allow an easy user interface to make and preview programmed flights. The idea of flying the route first, capturing waypoints, seems silly: without an easy way to edit the waypoints to include actions and Points of Interest, it is no fun at all.

In contrast, Litchi allows editing of all the key parameters in the mission, and via other utilities you can preview the mission on Google Earth. Unfortunately, you will be left with a great mission that the Air 3 will never fly.

While nowhere near as feature rich as Litchi, it is incorrect that you must fly a waypoint mission and create it dynamically with DJI Fly.

You can create a waypoint mission off-line in Fly, disconnected from any drone, in the map view, placing waypoints and POIs as desired, with control over gimbal, speed, actions, etc. very similar to Litchi.

The GUI is straightforward and similar to Litchi. For basic waypoint missions simply capturing media at waypoints or POIs, or simply filming some flight, there's no need to use anything outside of Fly.

 

[Facherty]

it is incorrect that you must fly a waypoint mission and create it dynamically with DJI Fly.

Undoubtedly that's true, but DJI promote the use of the flying drone to set waypoints. For example, in its main page, Introduction to Waypoint Flight Mode of DJI Fly, (here) the first step begins with, "1. After the aircraft takes off, pin waypoints by using the remote controller or operating on the camera view". The same is true in DJI's brief instruction film on the same page. I still believe what I said:

The idea of flying the route first, capturing waypoints, seems silly: without an easy way to edit the waypoints to include actions and Points of Interest, it is no fun at all.

but perhaps I should have added that you can, instead, sit and gaze at a tiny screen (your phone or the RC2) and hope you're getting what you want.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Undoubtedly that's true, but DJI promote the use of the flying drone to set waypoints. For example, in its main page, Introduction to Waypoint Flight Mode of DJI Fly, (here) the first step begins with, "1. After the aircraft takes off, pin waypoints by using the remote controller or operating on the camera view". The same is true in DJI's brief instruction film on the same page.

Bummer for people who don’t read the manual fully.

You were complaining that there was no easy way to set up a mission without flying it and dynamically capturing waypoints. That was wrong.

Further, it's pretty much the same procedure as Litchi, so it's no more difficult. I use both.

I still believe what I said:

The idea of flying the route first, capturing waypoints, seems silly: without an easy way to edit the waypoints to include actions and Points of Interest, it is no fun at all.

but perhaps I should have added that you can, instead, sit and gaze at a tiny screen (your phone or the RC2) and hope you're getting what you want.

You are a free individual, and can believe whatever you want. If the screen is too small to work with, use a tablet.

For in-app waypoint mission planning, Fly and Litchi are about the same.

 

[Facherty]

For in-app waypoint mission planning, Fly and Litchi are about the same.

At no point did I say that, "you must fly a waypoint mission and create it dynamically with DJI Fly" - that was your invention.
My words were, "Unfortunately, DJI has provided no real substitute for Litchi to allow an easy user interface to make and preview programmed flights." Fly and Litchi are not "about the same" for waypoint mission planning; Fly has no website where routes can be created and edited.

I am not lifelong fan-boy for Litchi - see:

Litchi - "Unloved by its maker"?

May 18, 2020

In another thread in this series (Modifying Litchi mission On The Go) I suggested that:
"Litchi appears to be unloved by its makers, but it has helped me (a) enjoy using my drone safely, and (b) produce some reasonable films (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXAHTNJ9704 for example)."
@VLL quoted the "unloved by its makers" remark, then reasonably asked, "How so?", so I thought I would have a go at answering...

Firstly, I would say that that I do most of my drone flying using Litchi, so certainly do not hate it. Secondly, in a previous thread I was informed that Litchi seems...

• Facherty
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Control Apps - DJI, Litchi, Autopilot, etc...

• 

However, I can recognise that there is a difference between Litchi planning, and that provided by Fly, and I am grateful to @WesBarris for his utilities to get around the meagre Fly tools.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

I am a lifelong, unapologetic, arm-waving, coolaid-guzzling Litchi worshipper, haha. The ease of creating waypoint missions on the Litchi Mission Hub sets that product apart from all others. Better still, that amazing Litchi to DJI waypoint mission translator published by Wes Barris is a Godsend to anyone wishing to operate a newer DJI Fly drone despite having a loathing for the cumbersome DJI Fly waypoint planner.

 

[Wavepilot Aerial]

I am a lifelong, unapologetic, arm-waving, coolaid-guzzling Litchi worshipper, haha. The ease of creating waypoint missions on the Litchi Mission Hub sets that product apart from all others. Better still, that amazing Litchi to DJI waypoint mission translator published by Wes Barris is a Godsend to anyone wishing to operate a newer DJI Fly drone despite having a loathing for the cumbersome DJI Fly waypoint planner.

Indeed, Conservative Hihilist. It staggers the mind that DJI can produce such superior drones and then support them with such inferior UI's. And agreed - Wes Barris's solutions are a blessing.

 

[Droning on and on...]

I repeat: For in-app waypoint mission planning, Fly and Litchi are about the same.

No argument about Litchi Hub. It's a fantastic tool. However it is even more difficult to use on a smartphone screen than either the Litchi app or Fly for creating missions in the field, and an internet connection is not always available.

 

[swoermck]

I am also an old "Litchi User" from Mavic Pro (where I was still able to upload the complete mission before take off) to Mavic Air 2 and Mini 2 (with virtual sticks, which almost resulted in shaky flights) to now Air 3 and Air 3.

With my Air 3 and Air 3S I use the RC 2 controller - but planning a mission with my old fingers is really a challenge. So my workflow is as follows:

- using the Litchi Website, I plan my mission on a 27" Monitor with a cup of coffee on my desk to get my mission as precise as possible
- download CSV file from the website
- convert CSV file to KMZ file with mentioned litchiutilities
- upload converted KMZ file to the RC2 controller

Works smooth, and I did this already for the Air 3S (somebody asked if this is possible as well with the Air 3S? -yes).

And yes, unfortunately the Litchi app doesn't work anymore with the Air 3/ Air 3S due to the lack of an SDK for developers, BUT: DJI Waypoints (or Litchi missions converted to waypoint mission) are MUCH smoother than those "Virtual Sticks" mission with the Litchi App for the DJI Air 2. In fact I used virtual stick missions only 2 times, as the resulting (shaky) videos were unusable!

One word of caution: it is not possible to create waypoint mission with straight lines:

"However, for unknown reasons, DJI's implementation of waypoints in DJI Fly does not allow one to specify either straight lines or curved turns and all waypoint missions created in DJI Fly are executed using curved turns. Therefore, by default, this converter will convert all missions to use curved turns."
(from this website: Litchi Waypoint Mission to DJI Fly Waypoint Mission Converter )

 

[mobychien]

I am also an old "Litchi User" from Mavic Pro (where I was still able to upload the complete mission before take off) to Mavic Air 2 and Mini 2 (with virtual sticks, which almost resulted in shaky flights) to now Air 3 and Air 3.

With my Air 3 and Air 3S I use the RC 2 controller - but planning a mission with my old fingers is really a challenge. So my workflow is as follows:

- using the Litchi Website, I plan my mission on a 27" Monitor with a cup of coffee on my desk to get my mission as precise as possible
- download CSV file from the website
- convert CSV file to KMZ file with mentioned litchiutilities
- upload converted KMZ file to the RC2 controller

Works smooth, and I did this already for the Air 3S (somebody asked if this is possible as well with the Air 3S? -yes).

And yes, unfortunately the Litchi app doesn't work anymore with the Air 3/ Air 3S due to the lack of an SDK for developers, BUT: DJI Waypoints (or Litchi missions converted to waypoint mission) are MUCH smoother than those "Virtual Sticks" mission with the Litchi App for the DJI Air 2. In fact I used virtual stick missions only 2 times, as the resulting (shaky) videos were unusable!

One word of caution: it is not possible to create waypoint mission with straight lines:

"However, for unknown reasons, DJI's implementation of waypoints in DJI Fly does not allow one to specify either straight lines or curved turns and all waypoint missions created in DJI Fly are executed using curved turns. Therefore, by default, this converter will convert all missions to use curved turns."
(from this website: Litchi Waypoint Mission to DJI Fly Waypoint Mission Converter )

If one could modify the waylines.wpml, then the straight line could be done. I have done that to create waypoints all fly in straight line.

 

[Droning on and on...]

If one could modify the waylines.wpml, then the straight line could be done. I have done that to create waypoints all fly in straight line.

If you want to hack wpml files, your best resource is the DJI SDK documentation. See here:

Cloud API

 

[mobychien]

If you want to hack wpml files, your best resource is the DJI SDK documentation. See here:

Cloud API

I am not hacking the wpml file, I am creating it based on my needs.
I have access to DJI CloudApi, so it is simple to do so.

 

[swoermck]

I am not hacking the wpml file, I am creating it based on my needs.
I have access to DJI CloudApi, so it is simple to do so.

Maybe you can explain how to change the wpml file to have straight lines? Would be interesting how to do that (as I am using waypoints for field mapping, and there i need straight lines).

Do I have to download the SDK for doing that? I am also using the Litchi Utilities first for converting it into a kmz file, so I assume I have to a) unzip the kmz file and b) edit the wpml file?

 

[Droning on and on...]

Maybe you can explain how to change the wpml file to have straight lines? Would be interesting how to do that (as I am using waypoints for field mapping, and there i need straight lines).

Do I have to download the SDK for doing that? I am also using the Litchi Utilities first for converting it into a kmz file, so I assume I have to a) unzip the kmz file and b) edit the wpml file?

You don't need the SDK. You just need to learn from the Cloud API documentation I linked above.

It's all on line, and I'd highly recommend learning from the docs, then editing an existing wpml file from a mission you've created.