With this new system of detecting obstacles, DJI included lots of the extremely sought-after options and capabilities of its bigger prosumer drones. One in every of these options could be waypoints.
Quick ahead to the 2023 launch of the Mini 4 Professional and its new omnidirectional impediment avoidance system, and flying waypoint missions has gotten even higher.
On this article, I’ll cowl what waypoint missions are, and tips on how to arrange and save waypoints on the DJI Mini 4 Professional.
If you’re all in favour of flying waypoint missions, this step-by-step information ought to assist you to get properly in your means.
What are Waypoints?
When talking of flying drones, waypoints are a perform that permits the DJI Mini 4 Professional to robotically fly a pre-planned route whereas performing varied digital camera actions.
These actions embrace robotically taking images and movies alongside the route of areas pre-designated by the drone operator.
The built-in DJI waypoint characteristic for shopper drones was beforehand solely out there for the Mavic 3 Collection.
As DJI’s direct competitor, Autel has had waypoint modes on lots of its shopper drones for a number of years. It’s a much-needed transfer for DJI so as to add waypoint missions to their light-weight sequence of drones just like the Mini 4 Professional.
Previous to DJI including waypoint performance for his or her drones, the one method to get waypoints could be by way of third celebration flight app builders.
This oftentimes took fairly some time, as builders have to attend for DJI to launch the SDK (software program improvement equipment) for the actual drone.
After this, the third celebration firm would want time to construct within the assist for mentioned drone mannequin.
Utilizing third celebration software program is also inconvenient for these proudly owning both DJI RC’s or RC 2’s solely. It is because third celebration applications can not run on these DJI all-in-one distant controllers.
This created one other inconvenience as now the homeowners of the drones that run these distant controllers would want to buy further DJI RC-N1, RC-N2, and even DJI RC Professional distant controllers.
In fact, utilizing high quality third celebration flight management software program shouldn’t be low cost. For instance, Litchi is at the moment between $24 and $26 for both iOS or Android units.
If you’re utilizing each, you’ll realistically spend over $40.
By comparability, the DJI Waypoint characteristic is free and included within the DJI Fly app for varied makes of DJI drones and distant controllers.
» MORE: DJI Waypoints (Defined for Inexperienced persons)
Use Instances for Waypoints
With waypoints being an autonomous characteristic, any waypoint mission may be saved and reused time and again, working with the very same parameters each time, if wanted.
Due to this characteristic, you possibly can go to a saved waypoint location and run a beforehand saved mission time and again, precisely the identical each time.
With the flexibility for saved waypoints to be reused, they’re good for:
- Development development photographs and movies
- Earlier than and after photographs
- Seasonal development photographs and movies
- Day-to-night actual property movies
» MORE: Does DJI Air 2S Have Waypoints? (Defined)
Tips on how to Set Up and Run Waypoint Missions
Observe: Waypoint missions are solely out there when in video mode.
Primary waypoint setup:
Step 1: Whereas in Video Mode, fly to the placement the place you’d like to start out your waypoint and faucet the Waypoints icon on the left of your display screen.
Step 2: Press both the C1 button or the + image so as to add a waypoint.
After including your first waypoint, you will notice it on the mini-map to the left, in addition to on the waypoint checklist.
Step 3: Proceed flying across the space, including as many waypoints as you want. Face the course you desire to the drone oriented when flying (though this may be modified later, as we’ll see).
When you have got completed your whole waypoints, you will notice the ultimate period, distance, and waypoint depend (in parentheses) of the mission.
» MORE: Does Mavic 3 Have Waypoints and Tips on how to Use It (Step-by-Step Information)
Modifying the Waypoints within the Present Mission
After the waypoint mission has been mapped out, there are a lot of completely different choices to customise each waypoint within the mission.
To change a waypoint motion, merely click on on the waypoint quantity you’d like to change and alter the parameters, as seen beneath:
| Digicam Motion | Altitude | Velocity | Heading | Gimbal Tilt | Zoom | Hover (Period) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | Slider adjusts | World Settings | Slider adjusts | Customized, Slider adjusts |
1 – 3x | Slider adjusts |
| Take a Photograph | 3 – 9x | |||||
| Begin Recording | ||||||
| Cease Recording |
Moreover, all choices may be modified at any time, after the mission has been saved, as we’ll quickly talk about.
If you might want to delete waypoints, merely choose the specified waypoint. You’ll enter the modification display screen on your chosen waypoint. From there, press the delete icon.
To view your present waypoints, faucet the mini-map within the backside left-hand nook. To return to the reside view/digital camera view, faucet that space once more.
» MORE: DJI Mini 3 Professional Waypoints (Defined for Inexperienced persons)
Working the Waypoint Mission
In spite of everything particular person waypoint choices have been adjusted to your liking there are a couple of steps concerned with really working the mission.
Earlier than working the mission, there are world mission-based settings that may likewise be set. We’ll take a look at these as properly.
Step 1: Press the again arrow on the waypoint modification display screen. For those who made no modifications to any of the waypoints, see Step 2.
Step 2: Press subsequent on the right-hand aspect of the waypoint part.
Step 3: You’ll be able to both press GO on this subsequent display screen or change the ultimate total flight settings first after which press go.
The flight settings are beneath the subsequent image.
Remaining Flight Settings:
| World Velocity | Digicam | Finish of Flight | On Sign Misplaced | Begin Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slider adjusts | 1 – 3x | Hover | RTH | Select any Waypoint |
| 3 – 9x | RTH | Hover | ||
| Land | Land | |||
| Again to Begin | Proceed |
After urgent GO, wherever the drone is within the air, it would then proceed to the primary waypoint, alter the peak, heading, and gimbal tilt, after which proceed to run the mission.
» MORE: DJI Air 3 Waypoints (All You Must Know)
Saving the Waypoint Mission
Any waypoint mission may be saved upon completion.
The automated means of doing so could be by exiting the Waypoint perform fully.
At this level, upon exit, you may be prompted to both save the mission and exit or exit with out saving.
You too can manually save your waypoint mission.
To manually save your mission:
Step 1: Press the Save icon, which appears to be like like a sheet of paper.
Step 2: You can be delivered to the Waypoint Historical past display screen, along with your present waypoint mission on the highest. Press SAVE.
Step 3: Select between both Save, which is able to save the mission as a generic file identify, or Save As, which is able to will let you save the mission as one thing recognizable.
Your newly saved waypoint mission will now present up with the date the mission was saved.
» MORE: DJI Mini 4 Professional – Tips on how to Use Lively Monitor 360 (With Video)
Creating Distant Waypoint Missions
One of many nice issues concerning the waypoint mission planner is that you just shouldn’t have to be on the location the place you wish to fly to create waypoints.
For this text, I created a mission miles from the place I subsequently ran the waypoints for this text.
I created the mission early within the day, then drove half-hour to the placement the place the mission would run later within the day and ran the mission.
This might show to be very helpful for many who must plan consumer or industrial missions previous to getting on location.
Moreover, with the flexibility to change waypoints within the mission planner, any top and motion changes may be made as soon as on location and surveying the mission web site.
To remotely create a waypoint mission:
Step 1: Whereas each the Mini 4 Professional and distant controller are on, faucet on the world map within the decrease left-hand nook of the display screen. Then develop the world map within the digital camera view display screen.
Step 2: Open the waypoint mode by urgent the waypoint icon.
Step 3: Find the world on the map you wish to place your first waypoint. Faucet the world along with your finger to set the waypoint. Proceed to do that for all of the waypoints wanted.
Step 4: Save the waypoint mission by tapping on the save icon.
Step 5: Both Save the mission or do a Save As and identify the mission one thing customized.
Step 6: Exit the waypoint mission planner.
As a quick reminder, these are the main issues to know earlier than setting waypoints remotely:
- The Mini 4 Professional and distant controller should be powered on and related to the web. That is wanted for the waypoints to make use of the map characteristic.
- As a substitute of utilizing the C1 button or + image, faucet the display screen on the designated waypoint location so as to add the waypoint.
- Any waypoints may be modified at any time after the mission is saved. Even remotely.
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