Functionalities / How-to

How to synchronize and upload a mission to PIX4Dcloud - PIX4Dcapture

Synchronizing with the mobile device and uploading missions to the Pix4Dcloud are two actions that can be done after a successful flight plan and image acquisition:

Synchronization: It consists in generating the project file (.p4d) and downloading the images from the drone to the mobile device. At the end of the flight, the mission is by default synchronized when the drone comes back and lands. If the automatic synchronization is deactivated or if the synchronization is aborted, it can be still initiated or restarted later.

Note: Mission synchronization requires connection with the drone. If the synchronization fails, it is still possible to get the captured images from the drone. For more information: (Android, iOS) Is the .p4d file required for processing?.
Note: After successful synchronization, the .p4d file and images can still be extracted from the mission folder when connecting the mobile device to a computer. For more information: (Android, iOS) How to transfer and process images after the mission.

Upload: It consists in sending the project file (.p4d) and images of the synchronized mission to the Pix4Dcloud for online processing. The results can then be visualized, analyzed and shared.

Note: Mission upload requires the synchronization to be successful and Internet connection. If the upload fails, it is still possible to process online after having transferred the project to a computer. For more information: Pix4Dcloud - FAQ.

Pix4Dcapture for iOS and Pix4Dcapture for Android provide slightly different workflows to perform synchronization with the mobile device and upload to the Pix4Dcloud.

(Android) Synchronization

1. Open the app.
2. In the Home screen, select Project List. For more information: (Android) How to use the Project List.
3. In the Project List screen, select the project that contains a mission to be synchronized. The status should be ic_syncstate_flown.png.
4. Turn on the drone and the remote controller. Depending on the drone, make also sure the Wi-Fi of the device is activated or connect the device via the USB cable to the remote controller. For more information, see step 6.: Pix4Dcapture - Getting Started.
5. In the Project view, in the options panel, tap bu_download_images.png. The app automatically connects to the drone and the download starts. The individual .p4d file is also generated on the device.

Information: Download images (A/B) is grayed out if no image can be downloaded. A should be smaller than B otherwise it means all images from every missions in the project were already synchronized.

6. Once the synchronization is successful the project has the status ic_syncstate_downloaded.png in the Project List screen.

(Android) Upload

1. Open the app.
2. In the Home screen, select Project List. For more information: (Android) How to use the Project List.
3. In the Project List screen, select the project that contains a mission to be uploaded. The status should be ic_syncstate_downloaded.png.
4. Make sure to have Internet connection on the mobile device.
5. In the Project view, in the options panel, tap bu_upload_images.png. The app starts uploading to Pix4Dcloud.

Information: Upload images (A/B) is grayed out if no image can be uploaded. A should be smaller than B otherwise it means all images from every missions in the project were already uploaded and processed on Pix4Dcloud.

6. Once the upload is successful the project has the status ic_syncstate_uploaded.png in the Project List screen.

Important: All missions within a project can only be processed on Pix4Dcloud (as a single project) if:
  • All images of each mission were downloaded from the drone to the device.
  • All images of each mission were uploaded from the device to Pix4Dcloud.

(iOS) Synchronization

1. Open the app.
2. In the Home screen, select Mission Manager.
3. In the Mission Manager screen, select the project of the mission to be synchronized. The status should be ic_syncstate_flown.png.
4. Turn on the drone and the remote controller. Depending on the drone, make also sure the Wi-Fi of the device is activated or connect the device via the USB cable to the remote controller.
5. In the Project view, in the options panel, tap bu_download_images.PNG. The app automatically connects to the drone and the download starts.
6. Once the synchronization is successful the project has the status ic_syncstate_downloaded.png in the Mission Manager screen.

(iOS) Upload

1. Open the app.
2. In the Home screen, select Mission Manager.
3. In the Mission Manager screen, select the project of the mission to be uploaded. The status should be ic_syncstate_downloaded.png.
4. Make sure to have Internet connection on the mobile device.
5. In the Project view, in the options panel, tap bu_upload_images.PNG. The app starts uploading to Pix4Dcloud.
6. Once the upload is successful the project has the status ic_syncstate_uploaded.png in the Mission Manager screen.