$75/map for GCPs? Well that is a game changer in my line of work.
Iāve been testing out Pix4D for the last 2 weeks and in my opinionā¦it sucks! Every map I have processed through DD, Altizure, mapsmadeeasy and 3 others have all processed with no problems at all! Every time I try to process one in Pix4D in gives me errorsā¦that is when it actually uploads all the pics from my maps! Why pay at minimum $350 per month for an overpriced program that wonāt work but maybe 5% of the time from what I can see!
@northarrow Iām confident that lower overlap and recent reduction in elevation flown are what killed your results on this most recent map. For this site youāre going to need to fly at 85m (280ft) and 80% overlap at least to get solid results on the cliffs. The top of that hill is up to 40m higher than the takeoff point, so overlap will be halved to 40% when flying at 80m.
Equally those RMSE errors suggest the results would benefit greatly from ground control to take precise measurements. I did a few tests, and as an example, one of your stockpiles looks like itās 2 ft shorter in April than in October. That might not be true in reality, and obiously doesnāt result in growth(!) but as the change is within the error bounds as described below (RMSE), I would expect some variation in your results.
Here are the vital statistics on your maps:
September: 6m RMSE 718 images, 660 images processed, 65m altitude
In the higher elevation sections, the overlap int as low as 1 or 0 overlapping images, on lower ground, 6/7/8
October: 3.9m RMSE 441 images, 438 images processed, 83m altitude
In the higher elevation sections, the overlap int as low as 3 overlapping images, on lower ground, 9/10
March 4.1m RMSE 401 images, 380 images processed, 84m altitude
In the higher elevation sections, the overlap int as low as 3 overlapping images, on lower ground, 9/10
April (4th) 3.9m RMSE , 235 images, all processed, 85m altitude.
9 images overlap on turns, generally 5, In higher elevations down to 2 overlapping images.
April (11th-a) 3.4m RMSE, 194 images made it up, 166 could be stitched, 77.3m altitude.
Lower elevations 4/5 images overlap. 1 or 0 overlap on higher elevations so no stitch possible.
The fact that some of your images didnāt upload or were not included in processing on recent maps is certainly our responsibility though. We have made a number of improvements last week and this week in that area.
Thanks,
James
@Jamespipe, thanks for the breakdown and what you are saying makes sense. Moving forward, I will max out my SFOC and fly between 85-90m AGL, and set overlap to 85%.
As for GCPs, and given the Pro Plan Iām on, are GCPs an option, or do I need to upgrade to Business Plan and still get charged the $75/map? (remember youāre in Product Management and not Sales!! 
)
Haha - Product Managers need to sell every day!
Yes youāre correct -> we currently only offer GCPs on the Business plan. Generally people are fine with this as the additional investment required to purchase the RTK ground truthing equipment makes the difference in subscription cost and per map cost marginal. We also provide one to one support per GCP map to help you get to the best possible results.
James
Ok. Once summer gets here and the snow finally melts, we will once again upgrade to the Business Plan and incorporate GCPs for our clients. I also have the RTK GPS of my own, and will recoup the costs for upgrading and the GCP submittals there.
For now, and for our own purposes, we will remain on the Pro and I will use the methods you describe above. See James, you can now upgrade your title to Product / UpSales Manager. Congrats on the promotion!
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@Jamespipe,
Iāve just submitted todayās flight of 343 images, 90m AGL, 85% front/side overlap. I launched from the pit floor, but have adjusted the geofencing to skirt the hill to the north.
Hereās hoping all works out well.
Cheers
It may be a case of taking more time and planning to get the better results, if thats what has to be done so be it. Hope you can get some answers for your issues @northarrow
Looks like 74 images uploaded, so the map is waiting for you to resume the upload to get to 343.
James
IT guy is on his way. Looks as though my wifi went down at some point throughout the night ā GRrrrr
**Update: laptop hardwired to network- will attempt to resume uploading this evening.
Success! Thank for all the help!
Thanks Joey for the info. Does any know if pix4d works with IOS as with PC. thanks
It does I use it on both.
This will be dependent on the imagery you capture. What camera are you using?