MSDK for Mini 4 Pro released!

[DJ Wes]

The MSDK for the Mini 4 Pro has been released. This will allow Litchi to support it. Since the Mini 4 Pro has on-board waypoints, this may become the first consumer drone since the Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom supported by Litchi not limited by virtual stick waypoints.

Mobile SDK

 

[Suren]

Good news for Mini 4 Pro owners but a total slap in the face of the more expensive Mavic 3 owners.

 

[msinger]

Maybe it's a hint that the Mavic 4 will also include MSDK support.

 

[Felix le Chat]

Good news for Mini 4 Pro owners but a total slap in the face of the more expensive Mavic 3 owners.

Perhaps more of a grudged admission that DJI waypoints can't hold a candle to the flexibility of Litchi. It's a pity they didn't do the same for the mini 3 pro.

 

[Mitch76]

Maven is already working on the update-> maven blog post

 

[mb34928]

The MSDK for the Mini 4 Pro has been released. This will allow Litchi to support it. Since the Mini 4 Pro has on-board waypoints, this may become the first consumer drone since the Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom supported by Litchi not limited by virtual stick waypoints.

Mobile SDK

I really hope DJI releases an MSDK for the Air 3/3S as well.

 

[UAV Ernst]

The MSDK for the Mini 4 Pro has been released. This will allow Litchi to support it. Since the Mini 4 Pro has on-board waypoints, this may become the first consumer drone since the Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom supported by Litchi not limited by virtual stick waypoints.

Mobile SDK

DJ Wes, this is indeed wonderful news, we miss being able to program missions with Mission Hub on Google Earth Pro.

 

[DJ Wes]

While it is exciting that DJI has finally provided MSDK support for the Mini 4 Pro, there are a few unanswered questions.

1. Will Litchi now add support for the Mini 4 Pro in their Litchi Pilot app? The answer to this question is almost certainly "yes". Unlike DJI, I see no reason why the people at Litchi would not want to provide waypoint support for this drone. Litchi has already announced that the DJI Matrice 4 will be supported in the next Litchi Pilot release. The Mini 4 Pro will likely follow.

2. If Litchi does provide support for the Mini 4 Pro, will that be in the form of "Virtual Stick" waypoints or "Native" waypoints? You might think this is an odd question. The Litchi Pilot app already supports the Mini 3 using "Virtual Stick" waypoints. Programmatically, it would be trivial to add waypoint support to the Mini 4 Pro using the existing "Virtual Stick" code base. Making use of the native waypoint functionality of the MSDK may require more development time. Litchi may choose to support the Mini 4 Pro initially using "Virtual Sticks" while the native waypoint support is developed.

3. As many of you know, the flight path of a waypoint mission is different when comparing Litchi to DJI. When using Litchi, the flight path does not necessarily go through each waypoint. When using DJI waypoints, the flight path does go through each waypoint. DJI's more recent native waypoint implementation is different from Litchi's and DJI's older waypoint support that was built into drones such as the Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom. Each of the two implementations has its advantages and disadvantages. How will one design a waypoint mission using Litchi's Mission Hub (flight path does not go through waypoints) for the Mini 4 Pro (native waypoint flight path does go through each waypoint)? Perhaps Litchi will now require the user to specify the drone model to be used in the Mission Hub so that the appropriate flight path can be shown.

I will try to get the answers to these questions from the Litchi developers and report back when I have more information.

 

[rwilliam99]

3. As many of you know, the flight path of a waypoint mission is different when comparing Litchi to DJI. When using Litchi, the flight path does not necessarily go through each waypoint. When using DJI waypoints, the flight path does go through each waypoint. DJI's more recent native waypoint implementation is different from Litchi's and DJI's older waypoint support that was built into drones such as the Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom. Each of the two implementations has its advantages and disadvantages. How will one design a waypoint mission using Litchi's Mission Hub (flight path does not go through waypoints) for the Mini 4 Pro (native waypoint flight path does go through each waypoint)? Perhaps Litchi will now require the user to specify the drone model to be used in the Mission Hub so that the appropriate flight path can be shown.

Can you elaborate on #3 a bit? To me, this makes no sense. If the flight path does not necessarily go thru a waypoint, what is the purpose of defining a waypoint? How does the flight path bypass a waypoint? What causes it to sometimes bypass a waypoint?

It is probably something silly that I'm missing, but I'd love to understand this.

Thanks

 

[DJ Wes]

Can you elaborate on #3 a bit? To me, this makes no sense. If the flight path does not necessarily go thru a waypoint, what is the purpose of defining a waypoint? How does the flight path bypass a waypoint? What causes it to sometimes bypass a waypoint?

Both Litchi and DJI use splines to define a flight path based on control points (waypoints). Splines are used for many things including movements and paths in video games, the shape of the body of your car, the case of your smart phone, and many other things. The shape of the spline is determined by the type of spline being computed and its control points. Generally, the computed spline does not path through the control points used to define it. To make that happen, you have to do a little extra work. However, in many cases, it is not necessary (and sometimes, not desired) for the spline to pass through the control points. There have been at least a couple cases reported here where people have crashed their drone on a DJI waypoint mission because of the properties of a spline that passes through the waypoints. I describe some of the important differences between how DJI and Litchi use splines to define a flight path here:

Litchi Missions vs DJI Fly Missions

Wes Barris

www.litchiutilities.com

If you are a math nerd (or a spline nerd), this video (it is long) will describe in great deal almost everything you ever wanted to know about splines. She does a very good job:

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The spline that DJI is using is a type of Catmull Rom spline. It is described in the video at roughly 48:00.

 

[rwilliam99]

Thanks for all the background. I will begin digesting it.....

 

[DJ Wes]

I just heard back from the Litchi developers about the questions I listed above.

1. Yes, they will add support for the Mini 4 Pro to the Litchi Pilot app.
2. They will provide both "Virtual Stick" and "Native" waypoint support if they can.
3. They will provide a way to specify the drone in the Litchi Mission Hub so that the flight path displayed will match that of the drone.

 

[thegoat]

Perhaps more of a grudged admission that DJI waypoints can't hold a candle to the flexibility of Litchi. It's a pity they didn't do the same for the mini 3 pro.

That raises a question for me, because the Mini 3 and Mini 3 Pro are also listed as supported. Looks like they were added in v5.30 dated 2023.04.07.

I don't know if what the limitation of the Mini 3 [pro] API are so I'm going entirely on the implication of your post that it doesn't work. So if Mini 3 Pro was "supported" in the API but didn't do what people need, does that mean that the Mini 4 Pro is now supported in the API but won't do what people need?

 

[fullyfulwood]

I have M4P but have never used Litchi before.
My main question. Is the ability to track boats better using Litchi? Options to have the drone lower and closer? DJI sent backwards with the tracking capabilities of M4P vs M3P for boats and cars
Thanks

 

[mobychien]

May I ask what is the purpose of the SDK? For implementing 3rd party waypoint function not available in DJI RC2?

 

[MS Coast]

May I ask what is the purpose of the SDK? For implementing 3rd party waypoint function not available in DJI RC2?

It's a software developers kit. It's a set of computer routines that allow a non-DJI programmer to write software that can access and control the drone.

 

[mobychien]

It's a software developers kit. It's a set of computer routines that allow a non-DJI programmer to write software that can access and control the drone.

I know , but specifically for waypoint development?

 

[BossBob]

I know , but specifically for waypoint development?

AFAIK the mini 4 pro waypoint implementation in the rc2 is has to have a connection between the done and the rc.
I’d hope that having the SDK will allow litchi to implement their system which allows a waypoint mission to continue even if connection is lost.

 

[DJ Wes]

AFAIK the mini 4 pro waypoint implementation in the rc2 is has to have a connection between the done and the rc.

The Mini 4 Pro has native waypoints. This means that the waypoint mission is uploaded to the drone and then the drone would not need to rely on a connection to the controller to complete the entire mission.

I’d hope that having the SDK will allow litchi to implement their system which allows a waypoint mission to continue even if connection is lost.

Litchi’s implementation allows the user to select either the “DJI Engine” (native waypoints) or the “Litchi Engine” (VSC waypoints). Native waypoints do not rely on a continuous connection. VSC waypoints do.