Fly app and terrain following

[AntoineD]

I'm about to buy a Mini 4 Pro, which unfortunately doesn't seem to use my favourite control app, Litchi.

I understand that the Fly app will do waypoints, but there's one feature it doesn't seem to have that I got on Litchi. On the Litchi app, you could select every waypoint and get it to set the height above that particular spot on the terrain rather than the height of your home point, which meant it could follow the contours of the landscape without any worry that it would collide with anything.

If the Fly app doesn't let you do this, can you install some sort of add-on, or even a different control app, into the RC2 controller?

 

[DJ Wes]

I'm about to buy a Mini 4 Pro, which unfortunately doesn't seem to use my favourite control app, Litchi.

That was true until March 17th when DJI added support to their MSDK for the Mini 4 Pro. Now, the new Litchi Pilot app will work with the Mini 4 Pro.

 

[Galopin]

But only for Android…

 

[mobychien]

I'm about to buy a Mini 4 Pro, which unfortunately doesn't seem to use my favourite control app, Litchi.

I understand that the Fly app will do waypoints, but there's one feature it doesn't seem to have that I got on Litchi. On the Litchi app, you could select every waypoint and get it to set the height above that particular spot on the terrain rather than the height of your home point, which meant it could follow the contours of the landscape without any worry that it would collide with anything.

If the Fly app doesn't let you do this, can you install some sort of add-on, or even a different control app, into the RC2 controller?

Does the app perform terrain analysis to determine if the flight between the waypoint will be safe?

 

[mobychien]

I'm about to buy a Mini 4 Pro, which unfortunately doesn't seem to use my favourite control app, Litchi.

I understand that the Fly app will do waypoints, but there's one feature it doesn't seem to have that I got on Litchi. On the Litchi app, you could select every waypoint and get it to set the height above that particular spot on the terrain rather than the height of your home point, which meant it could follow the contours of the landscape without any worry that it would collide with anything.

If the Fly app doesn't let you do this, can you install some sort of add-on, or even a different control app, into the RC2 controller?

Does the app perform terrain analysis between the waypoints, to ensure the flight over them are safe?

 

[Galopin]

The Litchi app follows the contour levels of the topographic map to ensure the flight is always above the set altitude above the ground (not the home point) before takeoff.

 

[mobychien]

The Litchi app follows the contour levels of the topographic map to ensure the flight is always above the set altitude above the ground (not the home point) before takeoff.

What if there is a hill in between the waypoint flight path that is higher than both the waypoint heights?

 

[Galopin]

You have to check that topographic feature while you planify your flight. You need to add a waypoint above that hill.

 

[mobychien]

You have to check that topographic feature while you planify your flight. You need to add a waypoint above that hill.

So in short, there is no terrain analysis by the app other than using your eyeballs?

 

[MS Coast]

Does the app perform terrain analysis between the waypoints, to ensure the flight over them are safe?

What if there is a hill in between the waypoint flight path that is higher than both the waypoint heights?

And remember that the hill may have trees, power lines, or towers on it.

Planning a safe flight is the pilot's job. Apps and waypoint functions just execute the pilot's flight planning, but may do a few very basic sanity checks.

 

[Galopin]

Check the thread below. You will understand everything.

DJI Waypoints vs Litchi Waypoints​

 

[slup]

What if there is a hill in between the waypoint flight path that is higher than both the waypoint heights?

So in short, there is no terrain analysis by the app other than using your eyeballs?

If activating "Use online elevations" in the settings & marking the checkbox "Above ground" on each waypoint... the set height for each waypoint will be above ground right below the waypoint & not relative the takeoff point.

This works ok, but what happens between the waypoints is up to you, no flight path analysis will happen taking into account high points in between the waypoints.

Here an example when flying over a smaller hill where each waypoint is set to a height of 5m above ground... the terrain i pretty much flat from WP01 to WP03, then the path is elevated up to WP04, but then... check what happens between WP04 & WP05.

 

[DJ Wes]

Does the app perform terrain analysis to determine if the flight between the waypoint will be safe?

No, it doesn't.

The Litchi app follows the contour levels of the topographic map to ensure the flight is always above the set altitude above the ground (not the home point) before takeoff.

Not exactly.

I have a detailed description of how Litchi's "Above Ground" works here:

Litchi's "Above Ground" Option

Wes Barris

www.litchiutilities.com

 

[Galopin]

I agree with you that my answer was not containing all the nitti gritti of a flight planning. When Litchi takes into account the ground level from the topographic maps contours from waypoint to waypoint, It does not add the height of all the objects existing above the ground levels, such as trees, antennas, buildings, etc. If you start your flight in a flat prairie and continue toward some forested hills, you have to add to the topographic heights of the coming hills a precise estimation of the tree heights and other artificial artefacts above the ground. And to give a chance to the drone to adjust in advance its altitude for a coming steep topographic change, more waypoints are better that missing waypoints.

 

[mobychien]

I agree with you that my answer was not containing all the nitti gritti of a flight planning. When Litchi takes into account the ground level from the topographic maps contours from waypoint to waypoint, It does not add the height of all the objects existing above the ground levels, such as trees, antennas, buildings, etc. If you start your flight in a flat prairie and continue toward some forested hills, you have to add to the topographic heights of the coming hills a precise estimation of the tree heights and other artificial artefacts above the ground. And to give a chance to the drone to adjust in advance its altitude for a coming steep topographic change, more waypoints are better that missing waypoints.

Thanks for the valuable information. I just need to figure out what the added-value Litchi app bring to the table vs. existing DJI waypoints function. Thanks.

 

[Felix le Chat]

I agree with you that my answer was not containing all the nitti gritti of a flight planning. When Litchi takes into account the ground level from the topographic maps contours from waypoint to waypoint, It does not add the height of all the objects existing above the ground levels, such as trees, antennas, buildings, etc. If you start your flight in a flat prairie and continue toward some forested hills, you have to add to the topographic heights of the coming hills a precise estimation of the tree heights and other artificial artefacts above the ground. And to give a chance to the drone to adjust in advance its altitude for a coming steep topographic change, more waypoints are better that missing waypoints.

This is the single feature of Litchi that managed to impress me the most.

 

[Galopin]

I completely agree with you...and also the possibility to repeat with great precision your flights at different seasons or circumstances in order to make some good morphing videos. Example:

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