How to use 3D Tower Capture with Skydio 3D Scan

3D Tower Capture is optimized for capturing vertical structures, such as telecommunication towers. With a streamlined setup process and new default settings, this mode is designed to save Battery life and make the scan setup more efficient.

3D Tower Capture allows you to define the scan volume as a cylinder.
Set a singular Center Pillar at the center of the tower and create a Radius instead of placing Lateral Pillars.
3D Tower Capture defaults the flight path to begin at the top or bottom of the tower, then Skydio flies a spiral path around the Z axis.
The camera gimbal angle automatically points downward, ensuring your scan images only contain important textured surfaces.
Enable the X and/or Y scan passes and Skydio will intelligently capture horizontal elements, such as the underside of antennas, without capturing excessive or redundant imagery.

Quick Steps

Before starting a scan, you will need to change the operating mode from Skills to 3D Scan. The operating mode will persist through power cycles.

To change the Vehicle Mode:

Step 1 - Power on your drone and Controller
Step 2 - Select the gray button that says Use 3D Scan
Step 3 - Confirm reboot Skydio will automatically restart and reconnect to the Controller/Enterprise app
Step 4 - Ready to begin scan setup After Skydio has finished entering the 3D Scan Vehicle Mode, you are ready to fly. Ensure your Logs Card has been formatted before starting a scan. visit the 3D Scan Quick Start Guide for instructions

[note] You must exit 3D Scan to regain access to Flight Skills. To exit, first land the drone and return to the Fly Screen. You also have the ability to change operating modes under Device Settings > Drone > Vehicle Mode. [/note]

Before you fly:

GPS Lock will be required for scans higher than 65 ft (20 m).
You may redo any steps in the workflow. Doing so will reset the steps you have already completed and discard any media that has been captured. You will not be charged for discarded media.
If you are flying with a Skydio X2 Color/Thermal you have the option to capture thermal images. Enable this in the camera settings.

[tip] If you wish to capture the same structure with different GSD across various sections, or if you have a very large structure to scan, try breaking your scan into multiple smaller scans. For best results, launch as close as possible to the section of the structure you are scanning. [/tip]

To use 3D Tower Capture:

Move through the scan workflow using the Skydio 2/2+ Controller or Skydio Enterprise Controller. The workflow pane will collapse when you are prompted to manually fly and the app will display available Controller shortcuts.

Step 1 - Select Scan Mode Select 3D Tower Capture Use the right shoulder button to select Begin
Step 2 - Name Scan Site (optional) 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: 3D_Capture__2021-05-20T19-50-55.135854+00-00
[info] Scan names must use American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) characters. Unicode characters such as à, é, â, ü, ö, ä and the following symbols will be converted to underscores (_) in the scan directory name: < > : ; , \\ \| ? * & $ { } ` “ [/info]
Step 3 - Launch Select and hold the LAUNCH button to begin your flight. The drone will automatically climb to 16 ft (5 m) and hover.
Step 4 - Set Rally Point Once the scan completes, you will have the option to return to the Rally Point. Skydio will also return to the Rally Point when the Battery level is low or the drone loses connection. Use Launch Point - the drone will return to the launch location instead of a manually set Rally Point. Set Manually - allows you to manually pilot the drone to a new location.
Tips for setting a 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
Step 5 - Set Scan Floor The Floor defines the bottom of the 3D volume you wish to scan. It will also define the bottom of your scan in the Visual Geofence and the Edge Model Viewer. There are two ways to begin setting the Floor: Use Default Height starts the Floor at 3.3 ft (1 m) below the launch height. If taking off from the ground, this ensures that the ground is included in your scan. Set Manually starts the Floor at the current height of the drone. Once selected, adjust the Floor as desired: Pilot the drone and the Floor will automatically move with the drone as you fly Drag the orange Floor AR to the desired height
The Launch Height is represented by a light gray AR plane. Done – sets the Floor in your desired location and proceeds to the next step Center Floor – moves the location of the Floor to the current altitude of the drone Level Gimbal– moves the camera gimbal pitch to 0°
Step 6 - Set Scan Ceiling The Ceiling defines the top of the 3D volume you wish to scan. It will also define the top of your scan in the Visual Geofence and the Edge Model Viewer. Press R to begin. The workflow pane will collapse to show a full-screen view of the green Ceiling AR. The Ceiling needs to be set above both the Floor and the structure you are scanning. Adjust the Ceiling as desired: Pilot the drone and the Ceiling will automatically move with the drone as you fly Drag the green Ceiling AR to the desired height
Use the Controller shortcuts to navigate the setup process: Done – proceeds to the next step Center Ceiling – Moves the location of the Ceiling to the current altitude of the drone Level Gimbal – adjusts the camera gimbal pitch to 0°
Step 7 - Set Boundaries (Center and Radius) The Center and Radius help define the center of the tower as well as the lateral bounds for the Visual Geofence. They also define the lateral area of your model in the Edge Model Viewer. Press R to begin. The workflow pane will collapse to show a full-screen view of the yellow AR pillar. Fly to the approximate center of your tower and press R to place the Center Pillar. If you’d like to change the location of the Center, press L on your Controller. Next, set the Radius by flying to a location that creates an area large enough to encompass the widest part of the tower. Press R to place. The on-screen AR will turn blue to indicate the scan boundaries have been set and represents the scan volume you have just created.	Set Center Set Radius Boundaries set
Step 8 - Set Visual Geofence Enables a strict geofence around the scan volume. The Visual Geofence uses the drone’s visual navigation system to always enter and exit the 3D volume from the same location. Skydio will honor the Visual Geofence during the Explore phase and the scanning process, as well as when transitioning between the two.
To set the Visual Geofence, independently toggle strict or default geofence settings: Ceiling, Floor, and Walls. By default, Skydio will remain within the scan distance of the boundaries. Enabling a strict geofence means each geofence blocks flight outside of the scan volume along that bound. You will also see a toggle called Safe Distance: allows you to set the distance from which Skydio will stay away from the structure while scanning
[note] Skydio will skip image capture locations that are located outside any of the toggled geofence boundaries. This may result in gaps in coverage. [/note]
Step 9 - Set AR Observer The 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 Lateral Pillar Bounds. There are two ways to set the AR Observer perspective: Review Suggestion (recommended) - Skydio will fly to the ceiling of the pillar closest to the takeoff position. The drone will then face the structure (the centroid of the AR polygon-prism). Set Manually - allows you to manually pilot the drone to your preferred vantage point, using the Skydio Controller. 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 scan’s progress. We recommend you tightly frame the structure and fill the frame vertically or horizontally.
Toggle this icon to switch between the static AR Observer image and the drone’s camera feed at any time during the scan.
Step 10 - Explore The drone will briskly and autonomously fly around the scan volume to build an internal model of the structure being scanned. Select Edit Settings to adjust the speed at which your drone completes the Explore Phase: minimum speed: is 1.1 mph (about 0.5 m/s) maximum speed: 5.6 mph (2.5 m/s)
[tip] Tap in the top right corner to toggle the AR Coverage Mesh. [/tip]
Step 11 - Review or Edit Settings View a summary of your scan settings: Scan time estimate Number of Batteries required Total number of photos Review your current settings and select Edit Settings to make any adjustments before the scan begins. You must have at least five photos to begin a scan. Editing scan settings will impact the total flight time, number of photos and the required number of Batteries.
If you need to capture the underside of the tower, enable the X and Y scan passes (located under Settings > Scan Passes). Enable Optimize X,Y to avoid capturing redundant imagery.
[tip] Use the Maximum Speed slider to set the maximum speed at which Skydio will travel while exploring, scanning and when returning to the Launch Point or Rally Point. Set the speed between 1.1 mph (0.5 m/s) - 11 mph (5 m/s) [/tip]
Scan settings persist across scans of the same scan mode. Select the Reset button in the top right corner to restore default settings.
Step 12 - Select Begin Scan and Skydio will begin autonomously scanning the structure.
Your scan may require using several Batteries to complete. For more information, read How to scan using multiple Batteries. You may pause at any point during your scan: Use the left shoulder button or tap in the workflow pane to pause scanning Your drone will display how many photos have been captured Manually capture photos while paused by using the right shoulder button or on-screen capture button Use the left shoulder button or tap to resume scanning Optionally toggle on the AR Coverage Mesh during your scan to monitor the photo coverage progress.
Obstacle Avoidance is set to Standard—and cannot be changed—when Skydio flies autonomously. If you are manually piloting the drone, you have the option to adjust your obstacle avoidance setting within the Device Settings menu.
[caution] Skydio Obstacle Avoidance does not detect moving objects and is disabled during landing. Review the Skydio Safety and Operating Guide for more information. [/caution]
Step 13 - Manually Capture Photos (Optional) Once your scan completes, you will be given the option to manually capture more photos of the scene or details of specific areas of interest. The purple AR outline on-screen shows the Lateral Pillar Bounds. Use the right shoulder button to take a photo. Manual photos will show up in the scan folder and in the Edge Model Viewer alongside the autonomously captured photos.
[note] You may also optionally enable interval mode to have the drone take photos at different time intervals (ex: capture a photo every 5 seconds). Manual photos may be captured at any time by pressing pause. [/note]
Step 14 - Scan Complete Once the scan completes, you will have the option to either: Start a new scan - this will prompt you with an option to save or discard the scan you just completed Return to Launch Return to Rally (if manually set) Select Save to ensure that the media is grouped by scan and is available in the Skydio Edge Model Viewer. Select Finish to return to the FLY Screen or Review Scan to enter the Edge Model Viewer immediately after your scan finishes processing. Wait for your drone to complete all post-flight tasks.
[caution] Do not remove the Battery or power off during any post-flight tasks. Doing so will result in loss of data. Do not power off or disconnect from the drone until you return to the Begin Flight screen. [/caution]