Functionalities / How-to
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      Transfer and process images / How to transfer and process images after a mission - PIX4Dcapture

      Once the images are captured with the app, there are several ways to transfer them to the computer for processing with PIX4Dmapper:

      Information: For the sake of clarity, the following terms are used:
      • (Android) A project gathers missions. A mission is a flight.
      • (iOS) A project is a mission. A mission is a flight.

       

      Option A

      It is possible to download the images, some outputs, the project file (.p4d) and the result folders to a computer, from PIX4Dcloud.

      Note: Option A is only possible after synchronizing with the drone and uploading the flight project to PIX4Dcloud. For more information: Synchronization and Upload / How to synchronize and upload a mission to PIX4Dcloud (iOS).

      1. Download the files from PIX4Dcloud and open the project with PIX4Dmapper locally. For more information: How to download results from PIX4Dcloud.
      2. Once the project is loaded, on the menu bar, click View > Processing. The Processing bar opens on the bottom of the main window.
      3. Ensure that 1. Initial Processing is selected and that 2. Point cloud and Mesh and 3. DSM, Orthomosaic and Index are unselected.
      4. Click Start.
      5. Analyze the results and process further. For more information: Step 4. Processing.

      Option B

      To copy the images from the device to the computer, the steps are as follows:

      Note: Option B is only possible after synchronizing with the drone, meaning transferring the images from the drone to the device and generating the .p4d file. For more information: Synchronization and Upload / How to synchronize and upload a mission to PIX4Dcloud (iOS).

      Procedure with Android

      1. Connect the device with a USB cable to the computer.
      2. Open the device directory.

      2.1. In the Windows File Explorer, click This PC.
      2.2. In the section Devices and drives, double click the device.

      3. Browse for the Pix4D folder and double click it.

      windows_browse_folder.PNG

      4. Among the flight projects that are stored, select and copy a Project ## folder to the desired location on the computer.

      Each Project ## folder contains:

      • The global project file (.p4d).
      • Mission folders containing the flights being part of the same project that are meant to be processed together.

        Each Mission ## folder contains:
        • The individual file (.p4d), in case a specific flight needs to be processed independently from other missions.
        • The respective captured images located in the data folder.

      5. Double click Project ##.p4d to open it with PIX4Dmapper.

      Procedure with iOS

      1. Connect the device with a USB cable to the computer.

      1.1. The iOS device should ask to trust the computer, click Trust.
      1.2. The Mac computer should ask for the permission to access information on the device, click Continue.

      2. Launch iTunes.
      3. Select the iOS device from the phone icon on the top.



      4. On the left sidebar, select Apps and scroll down to the bottom of the window.

      iTunes_browse_folder.png

      5. In the Apps section, select PIX4Dcapture.
      6. In the right window,       select Projects and click Save to... to export it to the desired location on the computer.

      The Projects folder contains several folders. Each Project 000## folder contains:

      • The project file (.p4d) of the flight.
      • The mission folder of the flight.

        Each Mission 000## folder contains:
        • The project file (.p4d), copy of the one above but with a different name.
        • The respective captured images located in the Data folder.

      7. Double click Project 000##.p4d to open it with PIX4Dmapper.

      Tip: There are alternatives to share the mission data without having to connect the device to a computer.
      • (Android) The .p4d file and images can be shared by email or any suitable platform.
      • (iOS) The .p4d file can be sent by email using a specific option in the app. For more information: (iOS) Synchronization and Upload. In this case, the images can extracted from the drone via Option C.


      Once the project is loaded in PIX4Dmapper:

      1. On the menu bar, click View > Processing. The Processing bar opens on the bottom of the main window.
      2. Ensure that 1. Initial Processing is selected and that 2. Point cloud and Mesh and 3. DSM, Orthomosaic and Index are unselected.
      3. Click Start.
      4. Analyze the results and process further. For more information: Step 4. Processing.

      Option C

      To copy the images from the drone/camera, no need to perform any post-flight action with the app. If for any reasons it is not possible to use the project file (.p4d), the user can still process the images by creating a project from scratch and import the images.

      Note: Option C is possible in any cases meaning that synchronizing the mission is not required. It is recommended to process the images using the .p4d file generated by the app (if available). However, processing with or without the .p4d file makes no difference in terms of results and quality of the reconstruction. For more information: (Android, iOS) Is the .p4d file required for processing?.

       

      To process the images from the drone:

      1. Copy the images from the drone to the computer, there are several options:

        • (DJI) Take the SD card of the camera, insert it in an adapter and plug it into your computer. Alternatively, connect the drone to the computer through a USB cable. Make sure the drone is switched on.
        • (B2) Connect the drone to the computer through a USB cable or using Wi-Fi. Make sure the drone is switched on. B2 has an internal memory but no SD card.

      2. After installing the program (download link), start PIX4Dmapper.
      3. On the menu bar, click Project > New Project...
      4. The New Project wizard opens. If needed, a more detailed procedure can be found here: New project in PIX4Dmapper. Otherwise, follow the steps below.
      5. In Name: Type a name for the project.
      6. (optional) In Create in: Click Browse. On the pop-up Select Project Location, navigate to the folder where the project and results will be stored and click Select Folder.
      7. Click Next.
      8. In the window Select Images, click Add Directories... and browse for the folder containing the images. Click Choose.
      9. Click Next.
      10. In the window Image Properties, click Next.
      11. In the window Select Output Coordinate System, click Next.
      12. In the window Processing Options Template, select the appropriate template either 3D Maps or 3D Models.
      13. Click Finish to end the wizard.
      14. On the menu bar, click View > Processing. The Processing bar opens on the bottom of the main window.
      15. Ensure that 1. Initial Processing is selected and that 2. Point cloud and Mesh and 3. DSM, Orthomosaic and Index are unselected.
      16. Click Start.
      17. Analyze the results and process further. For more information: Step 4. Processing.