Functionalities / How-to

Offline basemap and missions / How to operate flights without internet - PIX4Dcapture

The geolocation services of a tablet or mobile device working independently to an internet connection, flight plan and images acquisition can still be achieved using Pix4Dcapture without internet following a specific workflow. It is especially useful when mapping in remote locations.

It is important to be aware that an internet connection is required to be able to save the offline maps with the mission so that they can be used later in the field.

To fly without the Internet in the field, the following procedure is recommended:

1. Plan the mission in advance with an Internet connection.

1.1. Turn on the Internet connection.
1.2. Open the app.
1.3. In the Home screen, select the type of mission to prepare.
1.4. In the Map view, focus on the area of interest and bring the default flight to that location using the Reset button.

Tip: To make it efficient:
  • Move all around the flight to load the surrounding tiles.
  • Repeat these actions at different zoom levels. For high level of zoom make sure to cover the area below the flight.
  • Wait a bit between each move to make sure the tiles are loaded properly.

1.5. Adjust the mission settings (size, orientation, altitude, overlap, camera angle, etc.).
1.6. Save the planned mission with its base map:

  • (Android) Tap the Save button in the Map view. The current background is automatically exported on the device. This opens the Project view of the Project List where the default flight is saved in the newly created project. On the toolbar, basemap_saving.png should blink a few seconds. The Basemap is successfully exported when basemap_saved.png is displayed.
    The saved Basemap is available for all missions contained in one project
    It is required to activate the appropriate option to be able to save the Basemap on the device:
    1. In the Home screen, tap Settings.
    2. In the Settings menu, in the section Maps, check the box Save offline maps.
  • (iOS) Tap the Save button in the Map view to save the flight plan. Additionally, The Basemap is automatically downloaded and saved on the mobile device.

2. Fly in the field without an Internet connection.

2.1. Activate the device geolocation services.
2.2. Open the app.

At this stage, it is very important to be already logged in the application otherwise an internet connection is required to be able to log in. Note that the application remains logged in when:
  1. Closing Pix4Dcapture.
  2. Restarting or switching off/on the mobile.

2.3. Load the planned mission with its base map:

  • (Android) In the Home screen, tap Project List. In the Project List screen, select the project containing the flight that was prepared beforehand. For more information: (Android) How to use the Project List.
  • (iOS) In the Home screen, tap Mission Manager. In the Mission Manager screen, select the project containing the flight that was prepared beforehand.

2.4. Once the Map view is displayed, tap Start.