OpenDroneKitGeometry, from the planner
Planned by OpenDroneKit with these inputs: 120 x 60 m array area, 30 m, RGB profile. The drawing is the planner’s actual output for that test site in Aukerman Park, Ohio, not an illustration.
How is the solar mission laid out?
Flight lines run along the panel rows at the row bearing. When rows are drawn, the lines snap to them so each pass sits over a row.
With the thermal profile the camera is held at -85 deg or steeper (between -100 and -70 deg); with RGB it is limited to -100 to -55 deg. The heading is locked along the rows by default, or can follow the path.
Also accepted by the planner as: solar, solar_rows.
Inputs
| Parameter | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
altitude_m | Flight altitude in metres, relative to the take-off point unless an AMSL terrain model is loaded | 60 |
front_overlap_pct | Forward overlap between consecutive photos; with the camera footprint it sets the capture spacing | 80 |
side_overlap_pct | Overlap between neighbouring lines or rows; with the camera footprint it sets the line spacing | 70 |
speed_m_s | Planned cruise speed, written to every export | 5 |
camera | Camera profile used for footprint and ground-sample-distance estimates | mavic2pro |
gimbal_tilt_deg | Camera pitch; left blank, the template's own default is used | -90 |
solar_row_angle_deg | Bearing of the panel rows | — |
solar_sensor_profile | rgb or thermal; thermal holds the camera at -85 deg or steeper | rgb |
solar_orientation_mode | row_aligned (heading locked along the rows) or path_aligned | row_aligned |
solar_rows_lonlat | Drawn panel rows; flight lines snap to them | — |
Footprint, line spacing and GSD come from the camera profile; the GSD calculator uses the same formulas.
What survives each export?
- QGroundControl .plan and .waypoints: every point carries a DO_MOUNT_CONTROL gimbal command; all points are NAV_WAYPOINT; 100 of 100 have a CONDITION_YAW heading lock; 100 DO_DIGICAM_CONTROL captures.
- DJI WPML .kmz: gimbalRotate on every waypoint; heading-locked points use smoothTransition; takePhoto at capture points; speed limited to 1-15 m/s.
- Litchi CSV: 100 waypoints exceed the exporter's 99-waypoint split, so the export is written as 2 consecutive files, each starting where the previous one ended.
Each format has known issues, listed on its page: QGC .plan · .waypoints · DJI WPML · Litchi CSV.
Limits
- Planned without a terrain model the plan assumes flat ground at the launch elevation, and it says so in a warning.
- In this example 5 of 100 points fell outside the geofence (the drawn area) and were projected back inside it; the plan reports that count.
- Not flight-tested on an aircraft as part of these pages; the numbers above are the planner’s estimates.
Source and tests
Compiled by _compile_solar_inspection_primitive in mission/planner.py. The function is on public main (1ef6351); this drawing was planned with the development branch (0ae10e4), whose planner is ahead of main.
Tests in the development branch that exercise it:
tests/test_mission_constraints.pytests/test_mission_exports_carry_the_plan.pytests/test_standoff.pytests/test_template_inventory_is_derived.py
Related templates
Nadir or near-nadir lines over a drawn area, for orthomosaics, DSMs and coverage.
- Grid: A nadir lawnmower survey of a drawn area, for orthomosaics and elevation models.
- Double grid: A cross-hatched survey: the grid flown twice at crossing bearings, for 3D reconstruction of an area.
- Corridor: Parallel lanes along the long axis of a drawn strip, for roads, rails, pipelines and riverbanks.
- Magnetic: Main survey lines plus perpendicular tie lines at constant altitude, for magnetometer surveys.
- Smart adaptive: A uniform grid plus a finer, lower, cross-hatched pass over regions that warrant a closer look.
- Roof inspection: A stop-and-shoot grid over a roof: the aircraft halts at each point to photograph it.
All 22 templates: mission templates · mission planning.