Litchi vs rainbow

[Chapperz]

Hi all

Anybody got any opinions on litchi vs rainbow... On the face of it, rainbow blows litchi out of the water in terms of features. The ones of interest to me are, Facade Mission, 3d mission and grids. I know that litchi have a new app in beta but, their old app has some basic mapping features and I can't see anything about their new app adding more features but rather just adding support for more drones.

I get it that litchi is dirt cheap and a one time payment but, I don't get why so many people use it when it's so limited in functions and, if you're using it in a professional context, the 99 quid a year for rainbow is a steal.

I have compared rainbow to the likes of dronelink (the cheapest of the ones that can be used professionally imo) and rainbow offers from what I can see, the same, but for less than half the price.

Anyway, I digress. I have seen people prefer litchi over rainbow and I can't see why, so what am I missing apart from the price? And does anyone know if litch pilot will have grids, 3d, Facade etc missions?

Also, litchi still doesn't support m3p... It's baffling to me.

Thanks
Regards

 

[Recoveryone]

It's more about which app does what it does the best, there are few apps that are all around great. Here in the States, if you are doing mapping work (commercial, part 107) the industry key on using tried & true programs and not the newest thing that has come out. Appslike, Dronedeploy, Pix4d, Esri, & ArcGIS, are the standard along with the built in DJI Pilot/Pilot 2 app for mapping, they all can do facade work/3d mapping along with RTK support. Not sure if Rainbow does? When it comes to orbits and freehand flights it's up to the operator in most cases, some feel their skill set is best. When doing repeated work (monthly), why spend $100 (US) compared to $24 (US) for a waypoint app. Litchi was designed for recreational use mainly and has found a use in the commercial sphere. Unless "Rainbow" will be able to compete against real mapping programs that meet industry standards of survey grade/level of accuracy, then it is just taking peoples money for an expensive hobby level app.

 

[Chapperz]

It's more about which app does what it does the best, there are few apps that are all around great. Here in the States, if you are doing mapping work (commercial, part 107) the industry key on using tried & true programs and not the newest thing that has come out. Appslike, Dronedeploy, Pix4d, Esri, & ArcGIS, are the standard along with the built in DJI Pilot/Pilot 2 app for mapping, they all can do facade work/3d mapping along with RTK support. Not sure if Rainbow does? When it comes to orbits and freehand flights it's up to the operator in most cases, some feel their skill set is best. When doing repeated work (monthly), why spend $100 (US) compared to $24 (US) for a waypoint app. Litchi was designed for recreational use mainly and has found a use in the commercial sphere. Unless "Rainbow" will be able to compete against real mapping programs that meet industry standards of survey grade/level of accuracy, then it is just taking peoples money for an expensive hobby level app.

Hi thanks for the response... I want to try it out in a professional context... As in I want to do it as a hobby to see if I can master it or at least, try to monetise my hobby by selling the odd asset pack pack here and there because my partner and I like visiting historic places etc. Hence the reason I got the mini 3 Pro.. More freedom to fly in places. Anyway, I digress... It Supports DJI Mini3/Mini3 Pro, M30, Mavic 3E/3T, M300 and other industrial modelso So I think it's safe to assume that it's pretty good... I was thinking about dronelink but that's a bit too much money for me... I know DL has a individual licence but even the best individual license doesn't have what I want, only their pro license has it and that's more than twice the price.

I looked at litchi and yeah that's as cheap as chips but, doesn't offer nowhere near the features. That's why I was confused about why people have chosen it over rainbow but after reading your reply I've come to the conclusion that most people using litchi are hobiests and don't need that level of functionality.

If that's your thing, and you wouldn't mind I'd be grateful if you'd check it out and tell me what you think of it... I'm this close to pulling the trigger on it.

 

[Sam36401]

It's Litchi for me, hands down.

Pre-planning a mission on a computer using the Mission Hub is phenomenal. Then, the Virtual Litchi Mission capability to see the mission in Google Earth Pro can help detect potential mishaps before you fly the mission.

Planning a grid mission (for ortho work) is easily done using a free web app like Ancient.Land (set boundaries, set overlap, etc) then export the CSV which is then imported to Litchi.

If you are proficient using Excel, you can manipulate, merge and modify CSV files which can be imported into Litchi.

There are a ton of utilities created and available (for free) at Litchi Mission Utilities
Yes, there is a Facade Mission creation utility there.

For $25 one-time cost and the capabilities that exist, its hard to beat.

 

[Chapperz]

It's Litchi for me, hands down.

Pre-planning a mission on a computer using the Mission Hub is phenomenal. Then, the Virtual Litchi Mission capability to see the mission in Google Earth Pro can help detect potential mishaps before you fly the mission.

Planning a grid mission (for ortho work) is easily done using a free web app like Ancient.Land (set boundaries, set overlap, etc) then export the CSV which is then imported to Litchi.

If you are proficient using Excel, you can manipulate, merge and modify CSV files which can be imported into Litchi.

There are a ton of utilities created and available (for free) at Litchi Mission Utilities
Yes, there is a Facade Mission creation utility there.

For $25 one-time cost and the capabilities that exist, its hard to beat.

Ahhhh.... Very interesting... Last time I looked Google earth pro cost a few quid. Now it's free. So, I can create a kmz file in GEP, import that into the litchi mission utility, and then that will output the file to inport into litchi fly app? Don't suppose you have a link to a tutorial do you please?

Ahhh.... Just remembered... Litchi isn't compatible with the m3p. Bugger. I'm going to have to see if I can import the missions into the litchi pilot beta app. That said I'm wondering what features are going to be available in the new litchi pilot app.

Anyway thanks for info it's much appreciated

Thanks

Regards

 

[Droning on and on...]

I get it that litchi is dirt cheap and a one time payment but, I don't get why so many people use it when it's so limited in functions and, if you're using it in a professional context, the 99 quid a year for rainbow is a steal.

Because if the features you need are available in Litchi, 99 quid a year is throwing money away.

I'm a recreational pilot. Litchi meets my needs. There are a few other pilots like me

There are plenty of professional missions that Litchi covers all the needed functionality.

Does that help? The two apps serve different markets, with substantial overlap.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Hi thanks for the response... I want to try it out in a professional context... As in I want to do it as a hobby to see if I can master it or at least, try to monetise my hobby by selling the odd asset pack pack here and there because my partner and I like visiting historic places etc. Hence the reason I got the mini 3 Pro.. More freedom to fly in places. Anyway, I digress... It Supports DJI Mini3/Mini3 Pro, M30, Mavic 3E/3T, M300 and other industrial modelso So I think it's safe to assume that it's pretty good...

It depends on what your requirements are to be "good".

The Mini3P SDK only supports "Virtual Stick" control of the drone. There is no automation interface supporting the upload of a flight plan, then the accuracy and robustness of on-board execution of that plan. Rather the automation is in the app, and it executes the plan and controls the drone from the RC just as you do.

Variations in signal strength can result in delays or overshoot in executing control signals. This limits the area that can be used for high-accuracy missions like mapping, with the additional risk of aborting due to lost connection.

Ignoring purchasing used drones for the moment, the most economical truly autonomous solution from DJI is the Mini 4P, which includes DJI's on-board waypoint feature, and is reasonably good. This capability is available on the Air 3, and Mavic 3 family as well.

No SDK has been made available for the M4P, A3, or Mavic 3, so there won't be support for these platforms on 3rd party apps until that changes. However, they all support the DJI native waypoint feature, and if it can meets your needs despite missing some features of the more comprehensive apps, it's a superior solution to any waypoint app on the Mini 3P, Air 2, 2S, Mini 2, etc.

 

[dave canada]

Hi all

Anybody got any opinions on litchi vs rainbow... On the face of it, rainbow blows litchi out of the water in terms of features. The ones of interest to me are, Facade Mission, 3d mission and grids. I know that litchi have a new app in beta but, their old app has some basic mapping features and I can't see anything about their new app adding more features but rather just adding support for more drones.

I get it that litchi is dirt cheap and a one time payment but, I don't get why so many people use it when it's so limited in functions and, if you're using it in a professional context, the 99 quid a year for rainbow is a steal.

I have compared rainbow to the likes of dronelink (the cheapest of the ones that can be used professionally imo) and rainbow offers from what I can see, the same, but for less than half the price.

Anyway, I digress. I have seen people prefer litchi over rainbow and I can't see why, so what am I missing apart from the price? And does anyone know if litch pilot will have grids, 3d, Facade etc missions?

Also, litchi still doesn't support m3p... It's baffling to me.

Thanks
Regards

for what I do r use my drones for , mostly searching for objects ,animals IN a rural area itch is more than what ineed It,s like a caretaker for my drones DJI drones and litchi cove a lot of area in a day, , mission pushes my drones out there and over the mountains and hills and brings me back the footage that tells the story I shouldn,t say this but way beyond VLOS and without connection and does what it would take a man and horse the better part of the day in 21 minutes , been doid this for 11 years now have lost two mavic.s in the same area and figured out in the malpias there was a magnectic interferance it fouled the gps .up and how it lost the elevation the aircraft in just one place i know of ,but that had nothing to do with litchi , long story short litchi mission hub and a few mavics seen most of a 50 sections area in two or three days every thing I do with them is great out here and saves wear and tear on man and vehicles is pricless but in town is illeagle to do I,m pretty sure someone would frown on me having 4 drone in the air at once nut they go where they are sent a return safely 99% of the time ,

 

[IronSky1]

Features are not everything in my book I find Litchi very reliable on my Inspire 2.

Has anyone used with Matrice 200 series?

 

[Chapperz]

for what I do r use my drones for , mostly searching for objects ,animals IN a rural area itch is more than what ineed It,s like a caretaker for my drones DJI drones and litchi cove a lot of area in a day, , mission pushes my drones out there and over the mountains and hills and brings me back the footage that tells the story I shouldn,t say this but way beyond VLOS and without connection and does what it would take a man and horse the better part of the day in 21 minutes , been doid this for 11 years now have lost two mavic.s in the same area and figured out in the malpias there was a magnectic interferance it fouled the gps .up and how it lost the elevation the aircraft in just one place i know of ,but that had nothing to do with litchi , long story short litchi mission hub and a few mavics seen most of a 50 sections area in two or three days every thing I do with them is great out here and saves wear and tear on man and vehicles is pricless but in town is illeagle to do I,m pretty sure someone would frown on me having 4 drone in the air at once nut they go where they are sent a return safely 99% of the time ,

Yeah as usual it's horses for courses.

Features are not everything in my book I find Litchi very reliable on my Inspire 2.

Has anyone used with Matrice 200 series?

It's not so much how many but what features and the cost of those features.

 

[Chapperz]

It depends on what your requirements are to be "good".

The Mini3P SDK only supports "Virtual Stick" control of the drone. There is no automation interface supporting the upload of a flight plan, then the accuracy and robustness of on-board execution of that plan. Rather the automation is in the app, and it executes the plan and controls the drone from the RC just as you do.

Variations in signal strength can result in delays or overshoot in executing control signals. This limits the area that can be used for high-accuracy missions like mapping, with the additional risk of aborting due to lost connection.

Ignoring purchasing used drones for the moment, the most economical truly autonomous solution from DJI is the Mini 4P, which includes DJI's on-board waypoint feature, and is reasonably good. This capability is available on the Air 3, and Mavic 3 family as well.

No SDK has been made available for the M4P, A3, or Mavic 3, so there won't be support for these platforms on 3rd party apps until that changes. However, they all support the DJI native waypoint feature, and if it can meets your needs despite missing some features of the more comprehensive apps, it's a superior solution to any waypoint app on the Mini 3P, Air 2, 2S, Mini 2, etc.

More than anything I want to do some 3d models of homrs/buildings and historical sites. When doing that I'd like simplicity when planning a mission. Litch has too many processes along the way for me. Rainbow seems to be a nice place to start for me.

 

[Sam36401]

Litch has too many processes along the way for me

Planning missions to map and build 3D models is going to be intense for any app.

Here's an example of mine done with Litchi and Mavic 2 Pro. 3D model computed using WebODM

Animated tour of Armory

My first attempt at a video capture of a 3D model. I tried to find a way to share the entire OBJ and texture files, but the total is over 250 MB. That seems to be more than the ‘free’ sites will allow. If anyone has an idea of how to share it, I would be interested to try. The 3D model is the...

community.opendronemap.org

 

[Chapperz]

Planning missions to map and build 3D models is going to be intense for any app.

Here's an example of mine done with Litchi and Mavic 2 Pro. 3D model computed using WebODM

Animated tour of Armory

My first attempt at a video capture of a 3D model. I tried to find a way to share the entire OBJ and texture files, but the total is over 250 MB. That seems to be more than the ‘free’ sites will allow. If anyone has an idea of how to share it, I would be interested to try. The 3D model is the...

community.opendronemap.org

Niiiiicece!!!

I have been looking at webodm and my machine isn't up to the job... That said, webodm lightening seems very reasonably priced to be fair...

 

[Chapperz]

Planning missions to map and build 3D models is going to be intense for any app.

Here's an example of mine done with Litchi and Mavic 2 Pro. 3D model computed using WebODM

Animated tour of Armory

My first attempt at a video capture of a 3D model. I tried to find a way to share the entire OBJ and texture files, but the total is over 250 MB. That seems to be more than the ‘free’ sites will allow. If anyone has an idea of how to share it, I would be interested to try. The 3D model is the...

community.opendronemap.org

What did you use to plan the mission?

 

[Sam36401]

What did you use to plan the mission?

The helix function of Namirda's Virtual Litchi Mission.
Its another free tool that is available to enhance Litchi's capabilities.

Virtual Litchi Mission

Download latest version here : Virtual Litchi Mission V2.8.4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VLM Frequently Asked Questions Problems Getting Started Q) VLM does not start properly – startup sound and splash...

mavicpilots.com

Its a desktop program that has Litchi's Mission Hub built in, along with Google Earth Pro interface.

 

[Chapperz]

The helix function of Namirda's Virtual Litchi Mission.
Its another free tool that is available to enhance Litchi's capabilities.

Virtual Litchi Mission

Download latest version here : Virtual Litchi Mission V2.8.4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VLM Frequently Asked Questions Problems Getting Started Q) VLM does not start properly – startup sound and splash...

mavicpilots.com

Its a desktop program that has Litchi's Mission Hub built in, along with Google Earth Pro interface.

This is the thing with rainbow.... It's literally one ui where you plan everything save and then load it from your phone/controller.

Think drone deploy but about 5.4k cheaper.

 

[Sam36401]

This is the thing with rainbow.... It's literally one ui where you plan everything save and then load it from your phone/controller.

Think drone deploy but about 5.4k cheaper.

Sounds like you already had your mind made up, but wanted someone on here to try and talk you out of it.
Good luck. Let us know how it turns out for you.

 

[Chapperz]

Sounds like you already had your mind made up, but wanted someone on here to try and talk you out of it.
Good luck. Let us know how it turns out for you.

I think you might be right... It was a toss up between the two but the idea of of having to play around with multiple processes seems tedious but, if litchi can offer something over rainbow aside from price than fine... However it seems it cannot so for me, £99 a year is a steal... I can learn and get the hang of things and learn what is pretty much the standard work flow when using enterprise level aps and a fraction of the cost so, if it's not for me I can walk away with my m3p and still be happy instead of sinking the best part of 8k into it.