How to use Surface Capture with Skydio X10

 

Surface Capture is a planar scanning capability that captures imagery for orthomosaics and digital terrain models. This mode scans in a grid lawnmower pattern.

• Use Upward Capture in this mode to capture the underside of structures
• Best for wide, flat area mapping
• Define the Surface and Wall Boundaries to create your Area Boundary

Before you fly

• GPS will be required for scans higher than 65 ft (20 m).
• If needed, you can move backwards and re-do any steps in the workflow. Doing so will reset the steps you have already completed and discard any media that has been captured.
• If you are flying with a Skydio VT300-Z / VT300-L you have the ability to enable thermal image capture in the camera settings.

[caution] Ensure you have enough battery to complete the scan setup and begin scanning. You will only be able to save the progress of a scan once scanning begins. If your battery dies before scanning begins, you will need to restart the scan setup after replacing the battery. [/caution]

Default settings

Setting	Default State
Gimbal angle	0° Default Cross Hatch and/or Perimeter enabled: 60°
Overlap/Sidelap	70/70
Speed	5.6 mph (2.5 m/s)

Scan Workflow

Step 1 - Scan Mode

Select Surface Capture as the Scan Mode. Tap Select Scan Mode on the screen or use the right shoulder button on the controller to confirm your selection. 

Step 2 - Scan Name (optional)

[note] Scan names must use American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) characters. You will be prevented from using unicode characters such as à, é, â, ü, ö, ä and the following symbols: < > : ; , \\ | ? * & $ { } ` “ [/note]

You may optionally rename your scan. The default scan name is composed of the scan mode you select followed by a UTC timestamp. Renaming the scan will replace the scan mode.

• Ex: Surface_Capture__2024-05-20T19-50-55.135854+00-00

Step 3 - Launch

Drag the on-screen slider or press and hold the Launch/Land button on your controller to begin your flight. The drone will launch, automatically rotate 360 degrees, climb to 10 ft (3 m), and hover.

[info] Take note of your launch orientation. If your scan requires multiple batteries, you will need to place the drone in the exact same location and orientation after replacing a battery. [/info]

Step 4 - Set Return Behavior

Set your preferred return location. The drone will autonomously return to this location when the battery level is low or if the drone loses connection.

• Use Launch Point – the drone will return to the launch location.
• Set Custom Rally Point – manually pilot the drone to a new location and set this as your Rally Point. The drone will return to this location.

[tip] Setting a custom Rally Point:

• The Rally Point should be in your line of sight with a clear path to the Launch Point.
• Set your Rally Point close to the scan region so that the drone can safely and easily return to that point autonomously. Even if you change position during the scan, the drone will always have a point to return to safely without obstruction.
• Choose a location that is safe for landing. 

Once you have chosen your location, select Set Rally Point Here.

[/tip]

Step 5 - Set Surface

The Surface defines the area you wish to scan. It will also define the area of your reconstructed model in the Model Viewer.

There are two ways to begin setting the Surface:

• Use Default Height – Starts the Surface at 0 ft (0 m) below the launch height.
• Set Custom Floor Height – Starts the Surface at the current height of the drone.

When setting a custom Surface, the Launch Height is represented by a light gray AR plane. Adjust as desired:

• Pilot X10 and the Surface will automatically move with the drone as you fly
• Drag the orange Surface AR to the desired height
• Done – Sets the Surface in your desired location and proceeds to the next step
• Center Surface – Moves the location of the Surface to the current altitude of the drone
• Level Gimbal – Moves the camera gimbal pitch to 0°

Step 6 - Boundaries

Set pillars to encompass the structure to be scanned. The pillars bound the area laterally. It will also define the lateral area of your reconstructed model in the Model Viewer.

A minimum of three pillars must be set to create an area boundary.

There are two options when setting pillars: 

Fly to the desired location and use the right shoulder button to select Set Pillar. Continue placing pillars to encompass the area. By default, pillars are attached to the drone. The edges of the polygon defined by the pillars must not cross each other. Set pillar – Adds a new bounding pillar Remove – Removes the previous bounding pillar Done – Completes this step and finalizes pillar placement

[tip] Try adjusting the angle of the gimbal for a better view of where you are placing pillars. [/tip]

Drag pillars by holding the base of the yellow AR Pillar on-screen. This selects the active pillar and enables dragging. You may continue to set pillars by dragging or reconnecting the pillar to the drone by selecting “Attach.” Set pillar – Adds a new bounding pillar Remove – Removes the previous bounding pillar Attach – Reconnects the pillar to the drone Done – Completes this step and finalizes pillar placement

[info] Only the current active pillar may be dragged. [/info]

Step 7 - Set AR Observer

[note] The AR Observer is only available for the color camera. [/note]

The Augmented Reality (AR) Observer allows you to set the point of view from which you can observe an augmented-reality view of the scan progress.

• When you set your AR Observer point, the drone will take a static image from that position
• The AR drone will follow the white lines, which denote the planned flight path and image capture locations
• The purple AR lines show the Wall boundaries (pillars)

There are two options when setting the AR Observer:

• Review Suggestion – Skydio will fly to the ceiling of the pillar closest to the launch position. The drone will then face the structure (the centroid of the AR polygon-prism).
• Set Custom AR Observer – Allows you to manually pilot the drone to your preferred vantage point. If you choose to manually set the location of the AR Observer, ensure you are choosing a spot that provides you with the best situational awareness for monitoring the progress of the scan.

[tip] Setting a custom AR Observer: 

• Tightly frame the structure and fill the frame vertically or horizontally.
• Select this option if you are scanning around obstacles or in complex environments.

[/tip]

To view the AR Observer while scanning, select the Picture-in-Picture (PIP) button in the bottom left of the Flight Screen. You also have the option to set this as one of your views in the Single, Split, or Grid Display Layouts. 

Step 8 - Scan Settings

[info] For more information on scan settings, read 3D Scan capture settings overview with Skydio X10.[/info]

[caution] Do not set your Height Ceiling below your desired scan altitude as this will impact GSD. [/caution]

View a summary of your scan settings, plus estimates for the total scan time, required number of batteries, and total number of photos.

Select Edit Settings to adjust settings.

• Editing scan settings will impact the total flight time, number of photos and the required number of batteries.
• Settings persist across scans of the same scan mode.
• Select the Reset button at the bottom of the list to restore settings to defaults.

[tip]

• If you plan to fly higher than the Distance to Surface slider allows, simply fly to your desired altitude and select Set Distance to Current.
• To scan the underside of a structure, enable Upward Capture in the scan settings.
• The Geofence option allows you to enable Strict Boundaries that Skydio will not exit while scanning.

[/tip]

[caution] With Geofence enabled, the drone will stay within the scan area during data capture, but not necessarily during transit to and from the Launch Point. [/caution]

Photo Settings

After this step, you will not be able to adjust the following camera settings while scanning:

• Resolution (Full or 1/4)
• Camera Mode (Standard, HDR, Low Light)
• Enabling or disabling thermal JPG or RJPG files
• Enabling or disabling DNG files
• Changing Field of View: Wide vs Narrow (VT300-L and V100-L only)

You can adjust other camera settings, including color and thermal camera settings, at this stage.

• Select the Color or Thermal camera icons on the right side of your screen to access your photo settings

[accordion heading="Thermal scan settings"]

The thermal camera has a different Field of View (FOV) compared to the color (RGB) camera. Due to this, the Overlap, Sidelap, and GSD (Distance to Surface slider) values for the thermal camera and the color camera are different within the same scan. The values in the workflow pane on the right represent the color camera settings.

• You will see a summary of the thermal (IR) setting values displayed on the bottom of the live camera feed.
• If you are conducting a thermal scan and want a higher Overlap/Sidelap or GSD, increase these settings in the workflow pane until you reach your desired values.

When reconstructing a thermal-only scan, we recommend at least 80/80 Overlap/Sidelap for the thermal sensor.

Intended thermal (IR) Overlap/Sidelap	Corresponding Color Overlap/Sidelap (Wide camera)	Corresponding Color Overlap/Sidelap (Narrow camera)
85/85	95/95	90/90
80/80	93/93	88/88
70/70	90/90	85/85

[info] If you plan to process your thermal images in an external tool, you must enable RJPG files. Navigate to Thermal Camera > Settings and toggle on RJPG. This will ensure your drone captures radiometric JPG files. [/info]

You cannot capture thermal images by themselves. The following two file combinations are available:

• RGB files and Thermal JPG files
• RGB files and Thermal JPG + RJPG files
• If RJPG is enabled, you will also capture thermal JPG

[/accordion]

Once your settings are finalized, you may select Begin Scan and Skydio will begin autonomously scanning the structure. 

Step 9 - Scan

[note] Even if Stop for Photo is disabled, you may see the drone pause, along with a “Saving Photos” notification. This is to ensure the SD card finishes writing the data. Autonomous scanning will resume automatically. [/note]

You will see AR markers showing the scan capture points on the live camera feed. 

Optionally toggle on the AR Coverage Mesh during your scan to monitor the photo coverage progress of the scan.
Pause at any point during your scan. Use the left shoulder button or tap this icon in the workflow pane to pause scanning. Skydio will display how many photos have been captured. While paused, you have the option to manually capture photos using the right shoulder button.
Press the play icon or use the left shoulder button to resume autonomous scanning. Use the right shoulder button during a scan to Skip to the next capture point.

Step 10 - Scan Complete

Upon completing the scan, Skydio will automatically fly laterally to the Launch Point at the scan height (Distance to Surface).

• Skydio will first fly laterally until it is above or below the chosen point and then move vertically to reach it.
• When it reaches the Launch Point, it will descend until it is 16 ft (5 m) above the Launch Point.
• You will have the option to start a new scan, or you can initiate a landing.

[caution] With Geofence enabled, the drone will stay within the scan area during data capture, but not necessarily during transit to and from the Launch Point. [/caution] 

You will have the option to either start a New Scan or Land.

After landing, you will see a summary of the most recent scan and the option to Save or Discard the scan you completed.

Step 11 - Post-processing (optional)

[note] If you do not generate an Onboard Model at this point, you will still have the option to generate one at a later time. For multi-battery scans, select Yes to generate an Onboard Model after all flights are completed. [/note]

After saving your scan, you will have the option to create a textured model. This model is created onboard the drone and takes several minutes to complete.

For more information, read How to create Onboard Maps and Models with Skydio X10.

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