I second that - we use 3D Survey, as well as Drone2Map, Agisoft PhotoScan Pro and Simactive Corralator Pro and can see although the point clouds are not as good as the other packages (not as much detail) I much prefer 3D Survey to Pix4d - the other main thing is this is a local package so no security or data issues.If someone is considering Pix4D then at least try 3Dsurvey trial version
Indeed they are yes- I didn't word that very well - however most people use the cloud processing of Pix4d, DroneDeplay, Maps Made Easy etc, because of the low monthly processing cost.As far as I know, Pix4D and Agisoft PhotoScan are also local.
All the same, the pricing is prohibitive for those of us that are just dabbling. I used Microsoft ICE to make a composite of 345 jpegs covering an area of 87639 sq m. The H520 was flown at an altitude of 40m. View attachment 7610 The composite is 823Mb, so I've posted a screen snip here.
GSD = 1.17cm/pixel. At that I can just pick out Patella vulgata on the rock.
View attachment 7612 Here's the important part of the Datapilot plan. I used 3 batteries as I changed early when the craft was close to me. I'd like better resolution, but this was fine for a practice.
Would Esri Store give a more accurate composite than ICE?
Yes, and a more efficient track could result in the benefit of fewer images, less transfer time, processing time etc.The other important parameter for the same is the entry point. This way you can indicate where you want the mission to begin and end. In the manual it indicates that it is advisable to set the entry point as close as possible to the take-off point and that is something I am totally against, rather the other way around. My way of doing this is to make the exit as close as possible to the Home. Why? When you start a mission you have the full battery and you won't have any consumption problems. However, when the mission is finished the battery may be about to run out and having the output as far as possible indicates that the RTL will do it with a low battery with the danger that this involves. A possible increase in wind may cause more battery power to be consumed than calculated so it is advisable to complete the mission as close as possible to the landing point. Just the reverse of what the manual says. Of course and as always this is my opinion but the one who plays with fire in the end ends up burning.
I was attracted to ArcGIS because of their Drone2Map feature. My wife, who has used ArcGIS and QGIS, is most interested in using the former in a website she is developing. I came across this overview, which I'll take a detailed look at, Comparison of photogrammetry software - Wikipedia
The cost of ArcGIS, when used non-commercially, seems reasonable, so who knows?