Autopilot Beta Test

[damoncooper]

In a recent use (beta) I had no camera view at all (blank screen). Any ideas?

 

[tomtnt]

Can you please allow for lower floor? I'd like to use some of the modes at 5ft. Yes, I realize the risk but should be allowed to acknowledge and take that risk

 

[Hangar]

Any news concerning the I1 Pro with X5?

DJI says support is coming but they haven't given us a date.

In a recent use (beta) I had no camera view at all (blank screen). Any ideas?

We have noticed that happen sometimes. If you rotate the phone to portrait and back to landscape it usually wakes it up.

Can you please allow for lower floor? I'd like to use some of the modes at 5ft. Yes, I realize the risk but should be allowed to acknowledge and take that risk

What mode are you wanting to operate in? Are you over water? What if the ground isn't level?

 

[tomtnt]

DJI says support is coming but they haven't given us a date.


We have noticed that happen sometimes. If you rotate the phone to portrait and back to landscape it usually wakes it up.


What mode are you wanting to operate in? Are you over water? What if the ground isn't level?

zipline, cruise, target...

Yes, sometimes I like to do low tracking shot over water following a boat or jetski at lower height than 5m... if the ground isn't level, I wouldn't set the floor that low.....

I mean, please give the user some responsibility - not all of us are idiots that need hand holding to avoid crashing our aircraft... make the option available only in advance/expert mode..

 

[wcough]

Installed Autopilot for dji beta via tesflight version 2.2 build 52.
unable to select objects to move them in place in any mode on the maps

 

[gregdd]

Installed Autopilot for dji beta via tesflight version 2.2 build 52.
unable to select objects to move them in place in any mode on the maps

I find it difficult to move things as well. I can however do it with some patience. Make sure you select it first by tapping on it, then an info bubble will come up, then you can press and hold and drag.

 

[wcough]

Thanks, just checked again,, works good..... Spoke too soon.

Prior to posting I checked on iPhone & ipad and was convinced it wasn't working..

Thanks works just fine
wcough


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hangar]

I mean, please give the user some responsibility - not all of us are idiots that need hand holding to avoid crashing our aircraft... make the option available only in advance/expert mode..

The minimum altitude was originally chosen when using the GPS altitude reference was the only option. Because the GPS sensor has a notoriously bad vertical accuracy (+/- 3m in the best scenarios but often worse), we chose to put the minimum altitude at 4m. I could be convinced to relax the restriction, as long as the GPS altitude reference is not in use - would that be an acceptable compromise?

I find it difficult to move things as well. I can however do it with some patience. Make sure you select it first by tapping on it, then an info bubble will come up, then you can press and hold and drag.

We chose to require marker selection before dragging for safety (don't want to accidentally drag) and to handle marker collision. For example, if the Focus Subject is the operator, and the Home location is also the operator, then the markers collide and if you want to move the one on the bottom, you have to tap multiple times to get it selected, at which point it becomes draggable. We are considering making an option to use "large markers" which will make it easier to select them, but waste more screen space and make it harder to tell the exact point the marker is at. Thoughts?

 

[1vertol]

I'm slightly opposed to having larger markers. It does take a practice to manipulate the current markers but I found a quick firm tap works well for me. I agree larger markers would take up valuable space on the map. Perhaps an option to change marker size? ( s/m/l ) Let the operator choose which they prefer?

 

[IrishSights]

Lower than 4m would suit me too when doing several orbits at different heights when building for 3D models.

 

[gregdd]

We chose to require marker selection before dragging for safety (don't want to accidentally drag) and to handle marker collision. For example, if the Focus Subject is the operator, and the Home location is also the operator, then the markers collide and if you want to move the one on the bottom, you have to tap multiple times to get it selected, at which point it becomes draggable. We are considering making an option to use "large markers" which will make it easier to select them, but waste more screen space and make it harder to tell the exact point the marker is at. Thoughts?

I find it hard to manipulate the markers esp with cold fingers and bird in the air using up valuable battery. Yes an option for larger would be great for me. Regarding accuracy, why not use a google maps style marker with a large bubble coming to a point at the bottom. Everyone recognizes this method and even more accurate than what we have now.

One other comment regarding the manipulation of the orbit radius; would it be hard to add live radius size numbers as we are dragging it?

I don't know what the solution is to this but i was preplanning a job from home using an orbit and found it awkward to move the orbit and the poi icon from my home location to location where i was doing the job which are very far apart.

Love the new google maps. Can zoom in farther, can cache even after closing app and even rebooting device. No more map disappearing when zooming in too far either. Would still love the ability to expressly cache maps (seems so anti technology to have to manually pan around and hope you zoomed in on every spot you might want to fly).

 

[neilw]

We chose to require marker selection before dragging for safety (don't want to accidentally drag) and to handle marker collision. For example, if the Focus Subject is the operator, and the Home location is also the operator, then the markers collide and if you want to move the one on the bottom, you have to tap multiple times to get it selected, at which point it becomes draggable. We are considering making an option to use "large markers" which will make it easier to select them, but waste more screen space and make it harder to tell the exact point the marker is at. Thoughts?

I was just out practicing with the app. Using an iPad mini, I agree there should be a choice of marker sizes. Can get tough on a mini trying to move them.

 

[Svein Arne Kvamen]

Hi Autoflight Logic

I got a question regarding taking photos at a spesial spot.

Is it possible(or if not, make it possible) if i get a spesial longitude/lattitude from an architect to be used as an background picture to set this up in app and fly to that spot, take the photos/vids.

Would be great to have this feature in app, when many architects and entreprenours will have this kind of pictures, as it is now you use a lot of time to get to the dessire spot and take the photos

Thanks

 

[neilw]

The minimum altitude was originally chosen when using the GPS altitude reference was the only option. Because the GPS sensor has a notoriously bad vertical accuracy (+/- 3m in the best scenarios but often worse), we chose to put the minimum altitude at 4m. I could be convinced to relax the restriction, as long as the GPS altitude reference is not in use - would that be an acceptable compromise?

I was just out practicing with the current public version. When I set the minimum altitude to 16' (apparently the lowest setting possible), in Cruise the bird keeps going back up to 18-20' whether I use the joystick or set the altitude to stay at 16'. If I have it set to stay at 16' and it jumps back up to 20 and I can't get it to come back down by joystick. I have to change the setting back to joystick control. But it still just creeps or jumps back to 18-20'.

For my type of shooting, I need it to be at least at 16' or slightly lower in order to get good side shots. But at 20', which it seems to want to go back to no matter the settings or joystick input, it is simply too high for side shots.

In the settings the minimum altitude is set at 16' and also set it in Cruise, but it simply won't stay there.

 

[Hangar]

I find it hard to manipulate the markers esp with cold fingers and bird in the air using up valuable battery. Yes an option for larger would be great for me. Regarding accuracy, why not use a google maps style marker with a large bubble coming to a point at the bottom. Everyone recognizes this method and even more accurate than what we have now.

Did build 53 correct this for you?

Is it possible(or if not, make it possible) if i get a spesial longitude/lattitude from an architect to be used as an background picture to set this up in app and fly to that spot, take the photos/vids.s

Build 54 has direct coordinate input now.

In the settings the minimum altitude is set at 16' and also set it in Cruise, but it simply won't stay there.

Even though the minimum altitude is 4m, the best it will do is 4 + 1 because it needs some buffer space due to the inaccuracy of the altimeter (otherwise it would just keep bouncing up an down indefinitely). We are strongly considering allowing minimum altitudes down to 1m (very not recommended), as long as you are willing to not use the GPS altimeter reference (i.e. it just won't let you continue if you try).

 

[gregdd]

Did build 53 correct this for you?

Larger markers are perfect. My only difficulty now is that when dragging the marker, the point of the marker is directly under my finger. Is there any way to make the marker snap a little lower while dragging so that the point can be seen (to facilitate precise placement)?

On Orbit, it would be nice to have a checkbox that would read "Lock POI to Orbit center" or perhaps another long press option menu item "Reset POI (to Orbit center)"

Long press menu is awesome! New google maps awesome! Search function is awesome. Cant wait to see what waypoints looks like now

 

[tomtnt]

Did build 53 correct this for you?


Build 54 has direct coordinate input now.


Even though the minimum altitude is 4m, the best it will do is 4 + 1 because it needs some buffer space due to the inaccuracy of the altimeter (otherwise it would just keep bouncing up an down indefinitely). We are strongly considering allowing minimum altitudes down to 1m (very not recommended), as long as you are willing to not use the GPS altimeter reference (i.e. it just won't let you continue if you try).

that sounds reasonable - for many of the times when I'm using a lower flight altitude, I'm stationary and will likely use the takeoff fixed altitude.

 

[gregdd]

Ok heres another idea to throw out there. For Orbit, how about a "Degrees" setting which would open the orbit circle so then we could only fly a semi circle and maybe as soon as the orbit is anything less than 360 degrees the AC just gets to one end and the goes back to the other end. This would also facilitate people setting the orbit to 359 degrees which would still give you a full circle but the AC would go back and forth instead of in a circle.

 

[gregdd]

that sounds reasonable - for many of the times when I'm using a lower flight altitude, I'm stationary and will likely use the takeoff fixed altitude.

Yes I prefer to be able to go lower as well. I think people need to be aware of their AC and the settings and you cant always babysit everyone . Maybe have a pop up warning when selecting less than 4m.

Also how does this affect when i am flying below takeoff point, in a valley below me for example?

 

[skyscope]

Did build 53 correct this for you?
We are strongly considering allowing minimum altitudes down to 1m (very not recommended), as long as you are willing to not use the GPS altimeter reference (i.e. it just won't let you continue if you try).

That would be absolutely fine and it should be reasonable to be able to use low flight hights with barometer only. I updated to an iPad Air 2 recently mostly for the barometer to use it in Autopilot.

Ok heres another idea to throw out there. For Orbit, how about a "Degrees" setting which would open the orbit circle so then we could only fly a semi circle and maybe as soon as the orbit is anything less than 360 degrees the AC just gets to one end and the goes back to the other end. This would also facilitate people setting the orbit to 359 degrees which would still give you a full circle but the AC would go back and forth instead of in a circle.

I had similar thoughts for flying simple curves around a POI. Another way would be to enable ZipLine to be a curve with some kind of a draggable handle in the middle of the line. I made a quick mockup with Keynote how this could look like, but I assume this would need the waypoint logic to be implemented before?

By the way, hopefully it will be possible to plan curved paths in the future waypoint mode. I think any kind of bezier handles would be difficult to use with the touch interface.
For example the way Keynote handles curved paths is very nice. A double tap on any defined waypoint is like a switch between an edged or a curved waypoint, and there are automatic handles between defined waypoints to grab and drag. Hard to describe, I made a quick mockup too.

Anyway, I'm sure, this is already well thought through and I'm dying to know how this is implemented.