Technical release notes

Technical release notes - PIX4Dcloud / PIX4Dcloud Advanced

April 30th, 2024 - Improvements

Improvements

  • Choose the unit of measurement for volume comparison CSV with the unit of measurement switcher in the web UI.
  • PIX4Dcloud tutorial videos have been updated.

Changes

  • Measurements for relatively short distances or small areas are displayed in decimal feet instead of decimal inches.
  • An error message is shown if DXF cannot be displayed in either the 2D or 3D viewer.

Bugs

  • Ground control point targets are consistently detected when the dataset's unit of measurement is feet and the images’ geotags are meter-grade.
  • EGM96 is not applied by default for images’ vertical coordinate systems.
  • Processing finishes successfully when generating DSMs and orthomosaics that, due to their size or shape, cover an especially large geographic area.
  • The DXF is not shifted when using the take screenshot feature.
  • PIX4Dcloud did not display an error message when an account activation email was sent successfully.
Information: Before starting your project, carefully review our guide on the best practices and capabilities of PIX4Dcloud.

April 8th, 2024 - Project coordinate system manual definition

What's new

Improvements

March 27th, 2024 - SHP export enhancements

Improvements

Changes

  • Polygon's color setting defines the perimeter color instead of the fill color.
  • SHP export is not available for share links.

Bug fixes

  • Profile View axes are now correct.
  • Custom base surface altitude is now used in the volume comparison feature.

March 5th, 2024 - Credits auto top-up feature.

Improvements

  • Projects processed from PIX4Dcatch include the project name in the output files.
  • Overlays include a button to download the files.
  • Overlays include a focus-on button to center the view on the overlay.
  • [Credits] The Auto top-up option is now accessible after the second purchase from the user account.

Changes

  • DXF export is not available for share links.
  • New button design includes access to the New folder function.
    New_button_Drive_PIX4Dcloud.png

January 22nd, 2024 - DXF improvements

Improvements

Changes

December 7th, 2023 - New 3D maps template

What's new

  • New 3D maps processing pipeline with the following advantages:
    • Vertical coordinate system and geoid model support.
    • Faster processing.
    • Supports larger datasets.
    • Higher quality of point cloud and 3D textured mesh.

Improvements

Changes

November 21st, 2023 - Improvements

Improvements

  • (Only for PIX4Dcloud Advanced users) In the PDF annotations report, it is possible to:
    • Preview and delete an automatic annotation screenshot.
    • Create a new screenshot manually.
    • Screenshots of inspections are now included in the PDF report.
  • (Only for PIX4Dcloud Advanced users) Importing overlay in projects processed with a WKT2 file from PIX4Dcatch site localization is now possible.
  • Vertical system and geoid are displayed in the lower left corner in projects coming from PIX4Dcatch.

Bug fixes

  • The markers are now displayed in the screenshot of the PDF Annotations report.
  • The position of the marker on the map is displayed, which was previously not updated when changing the coordinates in the details panel.

September 19th, 2023 - Improvements

What's new

  • Annotations report in PDF format, including all types of annotations. This feature is only available for PIX4Dcloud Advanced.
  • Mission planner:
    • Corridor mission: Create, edit, and delete corridor missions.
      • Ideal for linear mapping.
      • Split big corridors into small sections for an organized data acquisition.
    • Link to PIX4Dcloud projects: link missions to your PIX4Dcloud projects to organize your processing results.
  • Organization Support and user management:

June 29th, 2023 - Improvements

What's new

  • Mission planner:
    • Cut direction setting in grid mission split.
    • Flight time estimation: Indicates the estimated total flight time of the mission.
    • Split missions by time: grid missions can now be split based on flight time.
    • Updated mission summary panel: better visibility of the different values.
    • Improved user interface: multiple improvements.

Improvements

  • DXF is now included in the take screenshot feature.
  • Timeline improvements:
    • Clustering for dates that are closer together.
    • Zooming in up to minutes.
  • IFC can be deleted from the hierarchy.

May 16th, 2023 - Export annotations in DXF

What's new

May 4th, 2023 - Mission planner feature

What's new

  • Access to Mission Planner. A web-based application that allows drone flight planning. It can be accessed from PIX4Dcloud and synchronized with the PIX4Dcapture PRO for mission execution.
    • Main features:
      • Plan management: create, edit, and delete flight plans.
      • Mission management: create, edit, and delete missions.
      • Mission types: Grid, Cylinder, and Orbit missions.
      • Import flight plans from external files: import CSV and KML files to create custom missions.
      • Mission split: automatically divide big missions into smaller ones to better organize your data acquisition for extensive areas.
      • Synchronization with PIX4Dcapture PRO app: access your plans and missions from PIX4Dcapture PRO to execute them in the field.
    • Support documentation: Mission Planner - PIX4Dcapture pro.

Improvements

  • New user account login page.

March 9th, 2023 - Display DXF Design Overlay in 3D

What's new

Improvements

  • Available Focus on feature for point cloud, 3D mesh, IFC, and DXF.
  • The Localization Points layer now displays the correct name of each point in projects uploaded and processed with PIX4Dcatch using a custom coordinate system.

January 26th, 2023 - Improvements

What's new

  • Projects processed from PIX4Dcloud User Interface are using PIX4Dmapper version 4.8.3.

Improvements

  • Projects uploaded and processed with PIX4Dcatch using a custom coordinate system show the ortho and DSM with the Mapbox background.
  • DXF files can be organized by groups inside the Design Overlay layer.

December 22nd, 2022 - Improvements

What's new

  • Visualization of the projects computed in a custom coordinate system (Site localization).

Improvements

November 15th, 2022 - Improvements

What's new

  • Toggle annotation visibility by dragging and sliding through the checkboxes for an easier and faster experience.

Improvements

  • DXF layer visibility persists, meaning that it is now possible to hide or show that a part of a DXF layer will remain in that view even after a browser refresh.

Bug fixes

  • DXF duplication in a site is now fixed when moving from one project to another.

October 13th, 2022 - Import DXF

What's new

  • DXF file import as Design Overlay.

Improvements

  • PIX4Dcloud and PIX4Dcloud Advanced process using PIX4Dmapper version 4.8.2 (most recent PIX4Dmapper version available).

Changes

  • New coordinate system transformation database.
  • X is now named Easting, and Y is named Northing.

September 28th, 2022 - Improvements

What's new

  • A Detail tab is available in all projects to show the project metadata.

Improvements

  • A new Building reconstruction option is available on the 3D model template to improve the results for building projects with homogeneous facades.
  • .LAZ point cloud format is now supported.

Changes

September 14th, 2022 - Improvements

Improvements

  • New language available: German.

Improvements

  • AutoGCP algorithm no longer requires a diameter size as input in the project creation wizard.
  • The status of the IFC layers is kept when the project is re-opened.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue where the snapping from/to the IFC was not working properly in some cases.
  • Fixed zooming in and out not working properly when navigating in 3D in projects with IFC files.

August 4th, 2022 - 2D/3D compare and transfer data to Trimble Connect

What's new

  • 3D compare view (Only for PIX4Dcloud Advanced users).
  • Transfer data from PIX4Dcloud or PIX4Dcloud Advanced to Trimble Connect.
  • A new cluster of servers is available in Canada.
  • Download several outputs at the same time.
  • Standard templates are modified when images are taken by ANAFI AI drones. The best internal parameters are applied to calibrate all the cameras and generate quality outputs.
  • North indicator icon in 2D/3D view.

Improvements

  • Online measurements always display precise values.
  • The index layer is displayed on top of the orthomsaic and DSM outputs on the Layer menu by default. This visualization is shown when a project is uploaded from PIX4Dfields to PIX4Dcloud.
  • Subscription plan and License Management are merged into Plans and products under the User account menu.

June 20th, 2022 - Import/Visualize IFC file

What's new

  • Import and visualize an IFC file (Only for PIX4Dcloud Advanced and PIX4engine Cloud users).

Improvements

May 31st, 2022 - Import/Export CSV file in project coordinate system

What's new

Improvements

  • Better image selection for the visual inspector functionality.
  • For projects uploaded from PIX4Dcatch:
    • New geoids supported (South Africa and Mexico).

April 19th, 2022 - Improvements

Improvements

  • PIX4Dcloud and PIX4Dcloud Advanced process using PIX4Dmapper version 4.8.0 (most recent PIX4Dmapper version available).
  • Display status of the project in the timeline.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed bug where the output coordinate system selected by the user was sometimes ignored.

March 17th, 2022 - Improvements

Improvements

  • Texture mesh resolution of 16k x 16k is now supported.
  • The name of the site and the dataset is displayed in the tab of the browser.
  • The project creation wizard now displays the total number of images selected for processing.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed bug related to the Orthomosaic/DSM not being displayed when the projects were processed with some particular coordinate systems.

February 16th, 2022 - Improvements

Improvements

  • PIx4Dcloud and PIX4Dcloud Advanced process using PIX4Dmapper version 4.7.5 (which is the most recent PIX4Dmapper stable release) by default.

February 2nd, 2022 - Limit size increase for orthomosaic, DSM and Index

Improvements

January 17th, 2022 - Multiselect tool for moving and deleting items

What's new

Improvements

  • The histogram of an index is displayed by default.

Changes

  • The units in which a project is displayed by default are the same as those in which it was processed.

December 21st, 2021 - Improvements

Improvements

  • PIX4Dcatch projects:
    • Improved 3D reconstructions when processing projects uploaded from PIX4Dcatch to PIX4Dcloud.
    • Improved point cloud visualization.
    • New geoids supported.
  • The state of layers in the hierarchy is kept when reopening the project.

Changes

  • PIX4Dcloud and PIX4Dcloud Advanced are now processing using PIX4Dmapper version 4.6.4 by default.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue where the georeferencing was not properly taken from some images.

December 8th, 2021 - First person camera control and improvements

What's new

Changes

  • Plant Health (NDVI) layer is now named Index.
  • Index layer hangs from Outputs in the hierarchy of the 2D/3D view.

November 1st, 2021 - Output coordinate system selection

What's new

Improvements

October 4th, 2021 - Circle annotation, bug fixes and improvements

What's new

Improvements

  • Exporting an image from the virtual inspector adds the inspection name at the end.
  • Annotation import in SHP format allows both a ZIP file but also individual files.
  • PIX4Dcatch projects show the 3D view by default.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue with the overlay naming not being persistent from one site to another
  • Fixed the issue when some selected layers were not displayed
  • Fixed the issue where the cloud user interface was always open in dark mode even if the user selected bright the last time
  • Fixed the issue where the drawing boxes were not working for the first inspection
  • Fixed the issue where the unit selector did not change the displayed units in the editor sometimes.

August 13th, 2021 - Improvements

Improvements

  • The name of the annotations are displayed when hovering over them with the mouse for all types of annotations both in the 2D and the 3D view. More information here.

August 2nd, 2021 - Bug fixes and improvements

Improvements

Changes

  • The name of the annotations which is displayed when hovering (both in 2D and 3D) has a different format

Bug fixes

  • Some bugs in the Virtual Inspector have been fixed:
    • Images did not display when full mode was selected
    • The export button did not work in full mode
    • It was not possible to add a box in full mode
  • Fixed the issue with the images taken in portrait mode which were rotated in the thumbnails in the virtual inspector and files section
  • Fixed the issue which displayed the type of the GCP wrongly in the right panel

June 29th, 2021 - Improved integration with PIX4Dcatch

What's new

Projects uploaded from PIX4Dcatch and processed with depth data have several important improvements:

  • Sky segmentation: improved point cloud generation to have less noise from sky and water in the 3D reconstructed model
  • Quality report: a quality report is available for new projects processed with depth data
  • Better performance: in terms of processing speed and number of images to be processed

Improvements

  • When exporting a screenshot from the UI, the name of the file is now the name of the project.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue where the orthomosaics produced with PIX4Dfields which were uploaded to PIX4Dcloud did not have a transparent background
  • A vertex could not be deleted in a polygon and or in a line
  • The profile view did not show the cursor in the editor when hovering with the mouse over the profile

May 11th, 2021 - New live measurement computation

Changes

  • New live measurement computation. More information here.

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue where, in some projects, line and polygon annotations were slightly moving away from the original coordinates (only while drawing them).

April 27th, 2021 - Italian and Spanish translations

What's new

  • PIX4Dcloud and PIX4Dcloud Advanced are now available also in Italian and Spanish. For more information about supported languages: PIX4Dcloud - FAQs.

April 15th, 2021 - Bug fixes and improvements

Improvements

  • Display the name of markers when hovering over them. More information here.

Changes

  • By default, the project coordinate system is selected in the coordinate system selector

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue which made the editor freeze in projects with arbitrary coordinate systems.
  • Fixed the issue with the zoom when a double click relocated the project in the wrong position.

March 22nd, 2021 - Improved orthomosaic and DSM tiler, bug fixes and improvements

Improvements

  • New and improved orthomosaic and DSM tiler. For more information: Improved Ortho and DSM tiler on the cloud.
  • Added feedback message for upload limits (7 GB for the GeoTIFF orthomosaic and 1 GB for the 3D Mesh OBJ).

Bug fixes

  • GCPs layer and lower bar coordinates are kept in the base unit (not converted from meters to kilometers or feet to miles).
  • Improved usability of the Virtual Inspector on small screens.

February 10th, 2021 - GCPs layer, bug fixes and improvements

What's new

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] GCPs layer display. When a project is processed with AutoGCPs on the cloud, there is a new layer in the hierarchy which contains the GCPs and check points that have been automatically detected (more information in GCPs layer). This applies to projects created from the release date.
  • Unit selector: New selector for defining the units used in the project when displayed in the 2D/3D view. For more information: Improved units display in PIX4Dcloud.
  • Support of overlays for arbitrary (user-defined) systems: You can find more information in How to work with arbitrary systems on PIX4Dcloud.

Improvements

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue with the Virtual Inspector not working properly with some cameras
  • Fixed the issue where in rare occasions a Point Cloud was completely colored in purple while in elevation color mode. Now it should always display elevation color mode properly
  • Fixed the issue with the volume computation using custom as the base surface. The custom elevation previously could not be typed in feet

December 8th, 2020 - Bug fixes and improvements

Improvements

  • Mobile device improvements (more information here)
    • Changes in the 2D/3D user interface
    • Improved mobile support for editing points, lines and polygons so that they can be selected more easily on touch screens
  • Projects uploaded from PIX4Dmapper 4.6 version can be processed
  • Sub-cm precision for measurements and annotations: especially for PIX4Dcatch projects where images are taken very close to the object and the GSD (Ground Sample Distance) can be very small

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue where an Overlay was not displayed properly when the site had projects with different coordinate systems. (Note: For existing Overlays which have already been imported and are not displayed for this reason, they should be imported again)
  • Fixed the issue where the Show my current position icon was hidden by the orthomosaic layer. Now it is always displayed on top of the orthomosaic and DSM

November 5th, 2020 - Bug fixes and improvements

Improvements

  • The volume annotation is disabled when the project has no DSM and therefore the volume cannot be calculated
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] New messages warn the user when using the AutoGCPs detection functionality if:
    • The wrong GCP file has been imported
    • The wrong coordinate system file has been imported
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Improvements to handle larger overlays

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue for when zooming in very quickly meant PIX4Dcloud did not display the highest ortho resolution
  • Fixed the issue for when sometimes the red and blue marks of the import overlay feature were not displayed
  • Fixed the issue when creating a field in the NDVI layer. Sometimes the '+' button was gone

October 22nd, 2020 - Bug fixes and improvements

Improvements

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] New project group card in a stacked style
  • Search functionality includes folders. A project can be searched for even if it is inside a folder
  • New NDVI and DSM icons visible in editor during tiling
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Messages in the comparison mode inform users about the alignment of the project
  • The GCP tab is not available if the project does not contain GCPs automatically detected by the AutoGCPs detection functionality
  • Improved performance while uploading images

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue which made the NDVI layer disappear when drawing a boundary. Now it is displayed and the user can better adjust the boundary
  • Corrected text and inconsistencies in the user interface

September 28th, 2020 - Processing templates step and Crane Camera projects AutoGCPs alignment

What's new

  • Different type of computations via a template selection step
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced + CraneCamera] AutoGCP alignment for Pix4D CraneCamera projects
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced + CraneCamera] Message informing about the type of alignment used

Improvements

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Pop up message when the GCP target size has weird values. When the GCP target size is lower than 20 cm or larger than 2 meters, a message is displayed to verify that the value is correct.
  • New icon for projects which have been shared but have no outputs

Bug fixes

  • Fixed the issue when the altitude was not properly computed in some projects until the user refreshed the browser. The right value is now displayed from the beginning
  • Fixed the issue with the 3D embeds not working for anonymous users

August 19th, 2020 - Bug fixes and improvements

Improvements

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Timeline performance improvements for large sites (+200 datasets)
  • [PIX4Dcloud only] Add icon for new dataset button
  • Improved text visibility for projects that are processing in light theme mode
  • Improved spacing for elevation profile measurements
  • Improved user menu access for small mobiles
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced + CraneCamera] Added link to support article when a project is not well-aligned
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] 3D view is preserved when changing from one day to another. When a user is looking at the 3D view on Day1 and goes to Day2 through the timeline, Day2 will also show the 3D view

Bug fixes

  • Persists the chosen language by the user
  • Fixed the issue when creating a project in a folder (it was created in the root level)
  • Empty folders could not be deleted despite they did not contain any project or site. Now it is possible to delete them.
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Fixed the issue where invalid characters in the file imported as overlay broke the processing and the overlay was never displayed.

August 3rd, 2020 - Bug fixes and improvements

Improvements

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Added help button in the volume comparison
  • Added link to support article when selecting the processing template
  • Pop up message when a user is reaching the end of the allowance
    image_allowance_reach.png
  • [PIX4Dcloud only] Direct access to PIX4Dcloud Advanced trial license through the account menu for users with access to PIX4Dcloud

Bug fixes

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Fixed the issue with having decimals in the GCP target size (it did not process)
  • Fixed the issue where units were not properly taken when sharing a project
  • Fixed the issue with the start process button which could be clicked more than once and that was causing projects to fail.
  • Fixed the issue with importing a zipped point cloud. The uploader got stuck.
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Fixed the issue when going back to the editor after using the compare mode, two orthos and two DSMs were displayed in the same project

Changes

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Disable annotations in compare mode

July 3rd, 2020 - Processing templates, bug fixes and improvements

What's new

  • Processing template selection

Improvements

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Overlay import allows zooming as much as needed
  • Welcome dialog has been removed and a new login icon has been added
  • Better support for Microsoft Edge browser
  • User interface improvements: better contrast in the uploader, better contrast in the drop area in the wizard, improved files view for mobile users
  • PIX4Dcloud favicon added

Bug fixes

  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Compare mode: fix to show the compare button in shared projects, fix to solve an issue with the second project not refreshing correctly
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] GCP report can be opened in Acrobat Reader
  • Fixed the issue where units were not taken properly from the account settings
  • Fixed the export button in the Virtual Inspector
  • Fix to inform the user when a .zip file is being prepared for download

June 9th, 2020 - Launch release

What's new

  • PIX4Dcloud and PIX4Dcloud Advanced are standalone products and can be purchased separately from PIX4Dmapper.
  • New UI with respect to the old Cloud platform
  • PIX4Dcloud Drive to better organize, view and filter the projects
  • Guided procedure for project and site creation
  • 2D and 3D synchronized views displaying DSM, orthomosaic, NDVI map, Point Cloud and 3D Textured Mesh
  • Markers, measurements, volume calculations exchangeable between projects and third-party software
  • Adjustable layer hierarchy
  • Sharing functionality with view and measure or edit and save rights
  • Dedicate view for downloadable input and output files
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Visualization of the evolution of the site through a Timeline.
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] AutoGCPs detection functionality. Our AI algorithm finds and marks the GCPs for you during the processing phase
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] CAD overlays to easily import and overlay design plans and maps. The as-built can be quickly compared with the as-designed to easily check progress and identify as-built errors
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] 2D comparison (shareable) view
  • [PIX4Dcloud Advanced] Volume comparison and monitoring report