DJI Pilot 2 is the flight software used by the DJI Matrice 300 RTK (M300), DJI Matrice 350 RTK (M350), and the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise (M3E).
If you fly a corridor, such as a highway or a railroad, flying a Linear Mission is much easier than a standard 2D mapping mission.
You can drop points (as described below) or use a KML file to create the flight boundary.
Planning a Linear Mission
1. Power on your drone and remote controller (RC).
2. Connect your RC to a WiFi network or hotspot to ensure base maps will load to assist with mission planning. To connect to WiFi, pull down from the top of the screen and tap the WiFi icon.
3. From the home screen of DJI Pilot 2, tap Flight Route.
4. Tap the + sign in the top right and select Create a Route.
5. Tap Linear Route.
6. Tap Set Waypoints.
7. Tap to mark the start and end of the corridor. Add more points if necessary. Tap the Checkmark at the top-left when complete.
8. Choose Zigzag Route. Set your Left/Right Extensions and Cutting Distance (more info on these settings in the table below).
9. Select your aircraft model, camera, and lens.
10. Name your mission. Then, specify your flight settings, referencing our recommendations in the table below.
Note: Adjust flight band cutting distance to make the mission segments as even as possible.
Drone settings
| Flight Route Settings | Set to | Question to Ask Yourself | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zigzag Route/Single Route | Zigzag Route | Do you want the drone to fly multiple passes or a single pass down the center line? | Multiple overlapping passes are necessary for photogrammetry. |
| Equal Left/Right Extensions | Enabled | Do you want the mission to have the same buffer on both sides of the center line? | Symmetrical extensions are ideal for most sites. |
| Extension Length | User Preference | How much buffer do you want on either side of the center line? | You want at least 3 lines of coverage over the corridor, including the center line. 5 passes over the corridor is even better. |
| Cutting Distance | Max Allowable* | How long do you want each flight to be? | *Unless you're trying to reach the required 10 minute mission time per section, increase the cutting band distance. |
| Mission Settings | Set to | Question to Ask Yourself | Reason |
| GSD | Default | N/A | This value will change based on the settings below. |
| Altitude Mode | Relative to Takeoff Point (ALT) | What elevation is your target altitude referenced to? | Unless you are referencing to altitude above Sea Level (ASL) in the EGM96 geoid model, set this to ALT. |
| Route Altitude | 200-400ft (60-120m) | How high should I fly compared to the takeoff point? | The height is a balance between how quickly you would like to complete your survey (higher makes it faster) and the ground sampling distance that you need. This range satisfies this balance. |
| Elevation Optimization | Disabled | N/A | When enabled, the drone will take a few oblique images at the end of the flight. You do not need these to process your data with Propeller. |
| Safe Takeoff Altitude | Above the highest obstacle on your site | How high is the highest obstacle on my site? | The drone will fly to this altitude before moving to the mission start point. |
| Speed | Max Speed Allowable* | How fast should I fly? | *Unless you're trying to reach the required 10 minute mission time, increase the speed to minimize overall flight time. In low light conditions, reduce the speed and the shutter speed to ~1/800. |
| Flight Route Direction | Parallel to Center Line | Do I want my drone to fly parallel or vertical to the center line? | Parallel flight paths are ideal for linear missions. |
| Boundary Optimization | Disabled | Do you want extra images taken on either side of the corridor? | You don't need these extra images if you have made your corridor wide enough. |
| Advanced Settings | Set to | Question to Ask Yourself | Reason |
| Target Surface to Takeoff Point | 0 | Is the terrain I want to survey at a different altitude than my takeoff point? | Unless the terrain you are surveying is at a very different altitude than your takeoff point, leave this setting at 0. |
| Side and Frontal Overlap Ratio (%) | ~80% | How much should each of the images overlap each other? | This provides enough overlap if some images are missing or poor quality while still building a contiguous model. The lower the detail on the surface below, the higher your overlap should be. If you have a large area to survey, you can reduce the horizontal overlap (no lower than 60%) to increase the area you can cover per battery. |
| Photo Mode | Distance Interval Shot | What metric is used to capture images? | Distance shooting allows the drone to capture images with consistent overlap. |
| Include Center Line | Enabled | Do you want the flight route to be generated along the center line? | Using the center line ensures good coverage of the corridor. |
| Takeoff Speed | User Preference | How fast should the drone take off? | Faster takeoff speeds will slightly reduce the battery voltage but may be necessary on active sites. |
11. Save the mission by tapping on the Save icon.
12. From the Camera View, tap on the Slider Bar Menu.
13. Adjust your camera settings based on our recommendations in the table below.
IMPORTANT: Adjust your camera settings according to which payload you are using, Mavic 3 Enterprise, the M300 RTK, or the M350 RTK.
M300/350 payload and camera settings
| M300/350 Payload & Camera Settings | Set to | Question to Ask Yourself | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus Mode | First Waypoint Autofocus | How do I want my camera to focus on my site? | Focus problems may cause motion blur. |
| Dewarping | Disabled | Should the camera apply dewarping? | Photogrammetric software like Propeller processing handles dewarping much better than the camera can. |
| Image Ratio | 3:2 | How much of the image should I delete? | 3:2 deletes nothing, utilizing the whole sensor. Everything else deletes data. |
| Image Format | JPG | How should the images be saved? | Images must be in a JPG format to upload to Propeller. |
| White Balance | Set to conditions | What conditions should I accommodate for? | Adjust the setting to reflect current weather conditions. Setting the white balance incorrectly will result in poor stitching and/or inaccurate coloring of your model. |
| Mechanical Shutter | Enabled | Do I want my camera to use the mechanical shutter? | A mechanical shutter uses the conventional front and rear shutter curtains at the front of the sensor. Not using the mechanical shutter will introduce distortion. |
| Mode | S (Shutter) | How should the exposure be controlled? | Shutter mode tells the camera to use a fixed shutter speed to avoid motion blur. The camera can adjust the exposure with aperture and ISO. |
| Shutter Speed | 1/1000 | How fast should the shutter close? | 1000 is usually a good starting point for sunny conditions. In low-light conditions, reduce the shutter speed to ~800 and lower the speed. |
M3E camera settings
| M3E Camera Settings | Set to | Question to Ask Yourself | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image Ratio | 4:3 | How much of the image should I delete? | 4:3 deletes nothing, utilizing the whole sensor. Everything else deletes data. |
| Image Format | JPG | How should the images be saved? | Images must be in a JPG format to upload to Propeller. |
| Lock Gimbal While Shooting | Enabled | Do you want the gimbal to lock in place while it takes a photo? | Leave this on its default setting. This will help prevent blurry images. |
| Mechanical Shutter | Enabled | Do I want my camera to use the mechanical shutter? | A mechanical shutter uses the conventional front and rear shutter curtains at the front of the sensor. Not using the mechanical shutter will introduce distortion. |
| Dewarping | Enabled | Should the camera apply dewarping? | The M3E’s sensor has a strong image distortion effect. By enabling dewarping, this negative effect is reduced and accuracy is improved. |
| Mode | S (Shutter) | How should the exposure be controlled? | Shutter mode tells the camera to use a fixed shutter speed to avoid motion blur. The camera can adjust the exposure with aperture and ISO. |
| Shutter Speed | 1/1000 | How fast should the shutter close? | 1000 is usually a good starting point for sunny conditions. In low-light conditions, reduce the shutter speed to ~800 and lower the speed. |
14. Double-check your settings in the Preflight Checklist.
Ensure that dewarping is turned on for the best results when using the M3E.
I still can't do it!
We wrote these articles to equip you with everything you need to get the job done on your own, but we understand that sometimes this isn't sufficient.
If you're stuck, the Propeller hardware support team may be able to help. You can contact them by emailing hardwaresupport@propelleraero.com.au.
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