Virtual Litchi Mission

candyaurelio · May 8, 2018

Yes, thank you for the info. Actually I was just now reading this possibility in the application help. Sorry for not being aware of it before.

houldsworth1 · May 9, 2018

namirda said:
Hi - thanks for the kind words - I'm glad you are making good use of VLM.

I don't have a website where I could provide an index page for the various releases of VLM and I don't believe dropbox provide that as an option. As the next best alternative, I have been editing the first post in this thread to provide links to all the releases in one place and will continue to do so. Perhaps I should edit that first post more dramatically to make the links more visible?
Neil

Dropbox does allow a shared folder - at least the one I use does (I have a Pro account). If you can't work out how to do that please let me know. Happy to help.

Thanks!

modbuilder · May 9, 2018

houldsworth1 said:
Dropbox does allow a shared folder - at least the one I use does (I have a Pro account). If you can't work out how to do that please let me know. Happy to help.

FWIW - I've found that adding an email to a shared folder in Dropbox only let's that person access the files IF they also are an account holder and have available size to accept that file. However, it seems that if the owner gets a share link from the folder, then anyone with that link can download the files in that folder.

Don't hang me if that's not right, but it's what I think I've learned after wrestling with Dropbox some.

houldsworth1 · May 9, 2018

modbuilder said:
FWIW - I've found that adding an email to a shared folder in Dropbox only let's that person access the files IF they also are an account holder and have available size to accept that file. However, it seems that if the owner gets a share link from the folder, then anyone with that link can download the files in that folder.

Don't hang me if that's not right, but it's what I think I've learned after wrestling with Dropbox some.

I have the option to create a link to a folder and anyone with the link has access to the folder (optionally read only or with edit rights).

namirda · May 9, 2018

houldsworth1 said:
Dropbox does allow a shared folder - at least the one I use does (I have a Pro account). If you can't work out how to do that please let me know. Happy to help.

Thanks!

Hi,

I have put a link to the latest VLM version in large red font at the top of the first post in this thread and will update the link as required.
Now you don't have to look through the whole thread looking for links.

Thanks

N

Howieal · May 10, 2018

namirda said:
Hi,

I have put a link to the latest VLM version in large red font at the top of the first post in this thread and will update the link as required.
Now you don't have to look through the whole thread looking for links.

Thanks

N

Super work, Namirda!
I have Version 2.0 working on my desktop computer. I tried to update to V2.10 but I get an error msg:
"This installation package is not supported by this processor type."
I'm using a Windows 10 system. Is there a difference in the the 2.1 version from 2.0 that could cause me to get this error?
Thanks again for all the work you are putting into this.
Howard

namirda · May 10, 2018

Howieal said:
Super work, Namirda!
I have Version 2.0 working on my desktop computer. I tried to update to V2.10 but I get an error msg:
"This installation package is not supported by this processor type."
I'm using a Windows 10 system. Is there a difference in the the 2.1 version from 2.0 that could cause me to get this error?
Thanks again for all the work you are putting into this.
Howard

Hi Howard,

What is your processor type? Is it a 32 or 64 bit machine?

I initially compiled VLM 2.0 as a 32 bit application because in principle that should also run on 64 bit machines. However several people had issues with it for reasons I never understood and so I made a second 64 bit version which everybody seems happy with.

I therefore only made a 64 bit version of VLM 2.1 but it your PC is an older 32bit model it will not run.

Are you using the x86 or x64 version of VLM 2.0?

N

Howieal · May 10, 2018

namirda said:
Hi Howard,

What is your processor type? Is it a 32 or 64 bit machine?

I initially compiled VLM 2.0 as a 32 bit application because in principle that should also run on 64 bit machines. However several people had issues with it for reasons I never understood and so I made a second 64 bit version which everybody seems happy with.

I therefore only made a 64 bit version of VLM 2.1 but it your PC is an older 32bit model it will not run.

Are you using the x86 or x64 version of VLM 2.0?

N

I have it on my work computer (at home now). Where would I look to see the VLM 2.0 version?
Thanks, Howard

namirda · May 10, 2018

Look in Control Panel/System - it will say there whether you have a 32 or 64 bit version of windows. If its 32 bit then you must be using the 32 bit version of VLM 2.0.

I think most reasonably modern PCs are 64bit

N

Howieal · May 11, 2018

namirda said:
Look in Control Panel/System - it will say there whether you have a 32 or 64 bit version of windows. If its 32 bit then you must be using the 32 bit version of VLM 2.0.

I think most reasonably modern PCs are 64bit

N

Namirda, I do have the 32 bit system - not very modern, I guess, but it works well. I'll stick to the 2.0 which I do like.
Thanks again, Howard.

empireurn · May 11, 2018

HI Great tool - but how do you get the 3D green wall showing the flight? I can simulate the camera view - but not see the SD still on a map? thankyou!

namirda · May 11, 2018

empireurn said:
HI Great tool - but how do you get the 3D green wall showing the flight? I can simulate the camera view - but not see the SD still on a map? thankyou!

Google Earth Pro should have an entry in Temporary Places corresponding to your mission.
Open "Diagnostics" and select "WayPoint Path" to view the original path or "Smooth Flight Path" to view the smoothed path.

N

dronedoodle · May 13, 2018

Hi Namirda,
VLM was ok before and I'm not sure now, no matter I run its giving error "Timed Out waiting for Google Earth Elevation API" , using window 10 and all internet connection is ok, no antivirus install in my PC and did try also to disable firewell etc and still not working.

Whenever trying to export as CSV, there is no file generated at a folder.

Hauptmann · May 13, 2018

Anyone running Litchi run successfully with the Samsung Tab S2?

The Samsung Tab S2 is the brightest display (500 nits) except for CrystalSky (1000 or 2000 nits), and much cheaper.

My iPad Mini 4 is just not bright enough for the Texas summer sun, even with the PGYTech sunshade and at full brightness.

mreclipse77 · May 13, 2018

I was using the app for the last few days and this morning two of my computers updated from Microsoft and the mission hub viewing area is offset on the screen on the Virtual Litchi Mission 2.1.0. Is there a way to reset that?

ksmusa · May 13, 2018

Try exiting the app, turning off notifications then restarting the app.

mreclipse77 · May 13, 2018

mreclipse77 said:
I was using the app for the last few days and this morning two of my computers updated from Microsoft and the mission hub viewing area is offset on the screen on the Virtual Litchi Mission 2.1.0. Is there a way to reset that?

OK it looks like it has to do with the scaling option. Perhaps something changed in the update with regard to that. I'm running 4K display on my primary computer and my other is a surface book which is 3000x2000 resolution. If I change scaling to 100%, the mission hub appears centered correctly within the Virtual Litchi Mission Hub frame. Also if I launch the application while having the scaling selected at 100% then change the scaling back to 150% it looks good. If I close the application and relaunch it using anything other than 100% the hub is offset within the hub frame. By the way this application is very useful and I am grateful it was created by Namirda, great job! Oh and I am using Windows 10 Pro with 1803 very latest updates installed.

modbuilder · May 13, 2018

dronedoodle said:
Hi Namirda,
VLM was ok before and I'm not sure now, no matter I run its giving error "Timed Out waiting for Google Earth Elevation API" , using window 10 and all internet connection is ok, no antivirus install in my PC and did try also to disable firewell etc and still not working.

Whenever trying to export as CSV, there is no file generated at a folder.

Have you checked that the VLM settings is looking at the same folder that Litchi is exporting the CSV file to?

modbuilder · May 13, 2018

I use VLM a bunch (Thank you Namirda!) to set up Litchi waypoint missions for construction photos, frequently for a new construction that still an undeveloped site in Google Earth. VLM with GE is fantastic to get the basic mission created in Litchi. But then fine tuning the desired photo composed with the actual construction involves a lot of trial and error running the mission live to get final details -- spacing from the subject, exact compass heading for the photo, camera pitch, and frequently adjusting the altitude and location on the path. All to get the waypoint photos composed right.

While running these live trial/error missions, I can pause the mission, or even drop out of it, and manually compose the photo that I want. But having done so, I don't see how to pull the exact compass heading and camera pitch out of the available displays. I can get rough values, but those aren't precise enough to enter into the Litchi waypoint settings for heading and camera pitch.

Can anyone tell me how to get the exact heading and pitch that I end up with when I manually compose the photo? Or alternatively, would a different app show that info?

namirda · May 14, 2018

modbuilder said:
I use VLM a bunch (Thank you Namirda!) to set up Litchi waypoint missions for construction photos, frequently for a new construction that still an undeveloped site in Google Earth. VLM with GE is fantastic to get the basic mission created in Litchi. But then fine tuning the desired photo composed with the actual construction involves a lot of trial and error running the mission live to get final details -- spacing from the subject, exact compass heading for the photo, camera pitch, and frequently adjusting the altitude and location on the path. All to get the waypoint photos composed right.

While running these live trial/error missions, I can pause the mission, or even drop out of it, and manually compose the photo that I want. But having done so, I don't see how to pull the exact compass heading and camera pitch out of the available displays. I can get rough values, but those aren't precise enough to enter into the Litchi waypoint settings for heading and camera pitch.

Can anyone tell me how to get the exact heading and pitch that I end up with when I manually compose the photo? Or alternatively, would a different app show that info?

Hi modbuilder,

I don't think that information is available from any of the available displays. However, it is available in the exif metadata stored with your dng files. Lots of ways to extract exif data but one of the simplest is "exiftool" - Google is your friend (sometimes!)

It sounds as if you must have lots of detailed data of the corrections needed to adjust the VLM mission to reality. I would be interested to know if you have found the required corrections to be systemic - or are they all completely random?

N