How to use 3D Tower Capture with Skydio 3D Scan
Overview
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
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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.
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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. |
Before you fly:
- GPS 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.
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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. |
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Step 1 - Select Scan Mode
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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.
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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. |
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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. |
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Tips for setting a Rally Point:
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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:
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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° |
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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:
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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° |
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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. |
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To set the Visual Geofence, independently toggle strict or default geofence settings: Ceiling, Floor, and Walls.
You will also see a toggle called Safe Distance:
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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.
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Toggle this icon to switch between the static AR Observer image and the drone’s camera feed at any time during the scan. |
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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:
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Step 11 - Review or Edit Settings View a summary of your scan settings:
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. |
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Scan settings persist across scans of the same scan mode. Select the Reset button in the top right corner to restore default settings. |
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Step 12 - Select Begin Scan and Skydio will begin autonomously scanning the structure. |
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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:
Optionally toggle on the AR Coverage Mesh |
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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. |
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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. |
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Step 14 - Scan Complete Once the scan completes, you will have the option to either:
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.
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Explore More
Explore related articles for additional information
How to scan using multiple batteries
How to use the AR Coverage Mesh for 3D Captures
How to set the AR Observer in 3D Scan
If you have questions or need additional support—feel free to reach out! Skydio Support
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