How to create field boundaries - PIX4Dfields

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This article explains how to create and import field boundaries into PIX4Dfields.

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Import field boundaries 

Different file formats can be imported into PIX4Dfields like Shapefiles, KML, GeoJSON and more.

  1. Click Boundaries on the left sidebar above the layer list to enter the boundaries mode.
  2. To import a field boundary, click Import shape on the right board BOUNDARIES.

    Import boundaries

    Import boundaries.

  3. Navigate to the folder containing the file and select it.
  4. Click Open.
  5. To trim a layer with your boundary: Click Use to trim in the open edit dialogue of the boundary on the map or click trim on the selected boundary list item on the right board.
  6. In the TRIM LAYERS menu select the layers you want to trim and click Trim to do so.
 
Note: Try PIX4Dfields now! Register for a free 15 days trial, and download our Example datasets to learn how easy it is to draw and import field boundaries in PIX4Dfields.

Draw field boundaries

To draw a custom polygon field boundary:

  1. Click the Boundaries layer on the left board above the layer list to enter the boundaries mode.
  2. To draw a field boundary, click the CREATE BOUNDARY icon in the left corner of the map.

    Drawing a boundary

    Draw field boundaries.

  3. Left-click to start drawing.
  4. When the third vertex is created, a toolbox appears.

    Toolbox

    Toolbox icons.

  5. Click the Add holes icon to take out any unwanted objects inside your field boundaries.
  6. Draw the hole inside the Boundary and click the Checkmark.

    Boundary_Holes.gif

    Adding holes.

  7. Click the Add Sub Polygon icon to create a subpolygon that belongs to the same field boundary.
  8. Name your newly created boundary.
  9. To trim:  You can use the boundary immediately to trim directly from the edit dialogue.  Just click Use to trim (the boundary will be saved automatically) and you enter the TRIM LAYER mode.
    OR
    If you want to trim later, save manually and then select the boundary in the list on the right board and click the Trim-button to enter the TRIM LAYER mode.

Reuse (Duplicate) field boundaries

To reuse (duplicate) a field boundary:

  1. Select the boundary you want to duplicate in the list on the right board BOUNDARIES and click the duplicate icon.
  2. A new field boundary is duplicated and appears automatically in edit mode.  The original boundary you duplicated from stays untouched.

Trim layers

To trim layers with an imported shapefile, GeoJSON or custom drawn field boundary:

  1. Double-click the boundary you want to use to trim in the boundary list on the right board.  The edit dialogue opens.  Then click the Use to trim button OR Select the layer you want to use to trim in the boundary list and click the Trim button.

    Trimming

    Trim icon.

  2. The TRIM LAYERS menu opens.  Select the layers you want to trim and click Trim to do so.

Edit field boundaries

To edit field boundaries:

  1. Double click the boundary you want to edit in the list on the right board.  Or click the edit icon next to the boundary you want to edit in the list on the right board.
  2. Click the edit geometry button in the opened edit dialogue

    Editing boundary

    Editing boundaries.

  3. Drag the white dots to modify the field boundary.
  4. Click the "plus" sign to create more corners (dots) and vertices.
  5. To remove a vertex, drag the dot of the vertex that you would like to delete on top of any other dot. Wait until a red halo appears around the selected vertex then release the mouse button.
  6. Click the check mark to accept the edited boundary’s geometry or click the X to cancel and leave the boundary unchanged.
  7. Save the edited boundary with the Save button.

Delete field boundaries

To delete field boundaries:

Click the trash bin icon next to the boundary you want to delete in the list on the right board.  Or click the trash bin in the opened edit dialog of the boundary you want to delete.

 
Note: The layers that have been trimmed still remain as original.  All the layers have a trash bin icon next to them which you can use to permanently delete a layer.

Visibility of field boundaries

Even when the boundary layer is not selected, you still can turn the boundary visibility on and off.  To do so click the eye icon on the boundary layer item on the left sidebar.

 

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8 comments

  • Michal Maly

    Hi,

    how can I create/import/draw/trim boundaries of the specific area/field in Pix4D Mapper?

    Thank you!

  • Avatar
    Momtanu (Pix4D)

    Hi Michal,

    Boundaries in fields are regions in mapper. You can draw/import regions (https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/204769419-How-to-create-a-Region-with-the-Index-Calculator) and get the index map for that region only.

    If you want DSM, ortho, index (all the outputs) for a certain area, you have to draw a processing area (https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/202560179)

  • Michal Maly

    Hi Momtanu,

    thank you for your promt reply, however, the second link does not work, can you confirm please?

  • Avatar
    Momtanu (Pix4D)

    Hi Michal, my bad, here is the working link:

    https://support.pix4d.com/hc/en-us/articles/202560179

  • Felipe Barney

    Hi,
    I need to process several areas within one batch. I work in sugarcane and the lots have an average of 15 hectares and are subdivided by internal roads into sublots which I can define using the boundary tools. My goal is to generate the indices (NDVI) of these sublots all together eliminating the internal roads. Is it possible to define serveal limits (sublots) within the same lot an generate the indices at same time if i need to process them one by one?

    Edited by Felipe Barney
  • Fernanda Bosmediano

    Hey Felipe, 

    We replied to your ticket. Thanks for contacting us. At the moment this can be a workflow to follow: You can draw all the field boundaries. Then, you trim the orthomosaic with each boundary, and then generate and NDVI of each trimmed orthomosaic. I would recommend this workflow because you will get accurate results in that way. For now, it is not possible to hide the field boundaries, but I am passing this request to my team. Trial plot projects are in our roadmap, so we fully appreciate your feedback and feature requests in this regard. You can add any Pix4Dfields feature request here

    Cheers, 

  • Michael Rin

    Hey there,

    is it possible to import field boundaries as shapefile into Pix4Dcapture? Thanks!

    Kind regards

    Michael Rin

  • Kapil (Pix4D)

    Hi Michael, 

    You can't import the shapefile into the Pix4Dcapture app. You can only import .kml/.kmz files to the android version of Pix4Dcapture. For more information, visit (Android) Import .kml/.kmz file.

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