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DroneDeploy users?

Has anyone tried out DroneDeploy with the Skydio 2 yet?
I would like to but cannot justify those prices at all.
When it comes to waypoint missions I use Litchi and DJI drones.
 
I would like to but cannot justify those prices at all.
When it comes to waypoint missions I use Litchi and DJI drones.

DroneDeploy's pricing is outrageous for any but corporate users. And even for corporate users, the pricing is at the extreme end.

Basic waypoint functionality should be built into Skydio.
 
I've been using DroneDeploy with S2.
It works pretty good for survey mission waypoint flying. They have a 14day free trial for the full DroneDeploy experience, then the app continues to let you fly S2 free afterwards.
It's not the best autonomous flight GCS I've used (for non-S2 platforms, e.g. Mission Planner, Pix4Dcapture, SiteScan, DJI GS Pro), and could stand to be optimized for S2 integration, but it is decent and has a slick, easy interface. It's really seamless and built for people that don't use Agisoft or Pix4D for reconstruction.
I haven't found any other free GCS apps to fly S2. I'd love to see something direct from Skydio with super tight integration.
If DD can do it, then the API is available and just needs someone with some skills to make a killer app.
S2 is ripe for Mission Planner (except it doesn't use Ardupilot). Someone contact Michael Oborne.
 
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I tried DD with S2 and did a bunch of mapping flights

a big drawback is how the S2 launches and goes straight to the starting waypoint—no matter what is in the way!

you cannot choose which waypoint is the first, you cannot add any intermediate waypoints, and you cannot set a height to reach before moving to first waypoint

Obviously they need to fix this
 
You should try again... I think the combination is improving. See below:


a big drawback is how the S2 launches and goes straight to the starting waypoint—no matter what is in the way!

I definitely also noticed that... S2 takes off to about 10ft AGL then straight to waypoint 1. Mine went straight into a bunch of trees but luckily for S2's superior object avoidance, it noodled it's way out of the canopy. This happened more than once with DD on S2.


you cannot choose which waypoint is the first, you cannot add any intermediate waypoints, and you cannot set a height to reach before moving to first waypoint

Actually, you can... In DroneDeploy app, open up 'Advanced Settings', uncheck 'Automatic Settings', then there's a slider bar to adjust the 'Starting Waypoint'. That said, it's very fiddly and only gives a subset of the total number of waypoints (which aren't numbered on the screen). Also, it seems like the app will reset your starting waypoint setting each time you adjust something else, so make sure to adjust it right before lift off.


Obviously they need to fix this

Yes - And I think they are working on it... Because last week updates were released to Skydio2 app, DroneDeploy app, and Skydio2 firmware. All seemed to work much better together than the previous combination of apps/firmware.

My main complaints now are that
1) DD doesn't tell Skydio2 to come home for battery swap on multi-battery missions, and
2) the landing is seriously complicated by DD: It wants to auto-land but can be ~20m away from home. Also, it doesn't recognize the S2 logo for AI-assisted landing. And it requires some strange combination of halting DD-landing task to regain stick control, then turning off OA to actually land, but then stick control is gone again, which gives the effect of no control of S2 position between almost landing and headed to the ground. Feels awkward.


One strange NEW thing I noticed with the update is that the EXIF info on the imagery for Drone Yaw/Pitch/Roll now have a different name: Camera Orientation FLU Yaw/Pitch/Roll, which confuses Agisoft Metashape's importing of camera rotation data. Will explore further, but I'm assuming a software update on Agisoft's side will probably fix that.
 
Hello all,

Longtime reader, first time poster.

Can DD + S2 allow for adjusting camera direction at different waypoints? I've just started the trial app, but can't seem to find any other function for the camera other than just pointing at a single POI.

Am I missing something? Huge shortfall if DD doesn't allow for changing camera directions along waypoint routes.

Any ideas??
 
We've use DD successfully with the S2 on orthographic mapping missions (without ground control points). The image quality from the S2 appears comparable to what we get from our Mavic 2 (which has been very good). One limitation we have found with the S2, however, is that it cannot (yet) perform 360-degree panoramic captures in DroneDeploy. We have had great success with these panoramic shots using our Mavic 2, but not with the S2. The images captured by the S2 are not nearly as sharp as those captured with the Mavic 2. I spoke with Skydio about this and learned that DroneDeploy does not yet support Skydio in performing 360-degree panos. I was told that the Skydio engineers are working on it, but they can't say when it will become available.
 

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