How to Create an Orbit Survey With Your Drone

At Botlink, we absolutely love our latest feature and are excited to let everyone know all about it! Orbit Surveys are an incredibly cool way to create stunning 3D models filled with rich data to analyze and share with clients and customers.

If you have a Botlink subscription, using the Orbit Survey tool is a simple process. For an in-depth rundown, check out the video above. Otherwise follow these step-by-step instructions and you’ll be up and running in no time:

1. Start by clicking the center on my location button (white and blue icon in the upper right), this centers your map on your current location.

2. Tap the blue add button in the bottom right to add a new flight.

3. A pop-up menu with an Orbit Survey option will pop up at the bottom of the screen. Click on that.

The Orbit Survey option is highlighted. Click on it to get started.

The Orbit Survey option is highlighted. Click on it to get started.

4. You’ll then have an orange, circular radius on your screen. Find your point of interest and hit the place button. You can then position the orbit using the center anchor point and resize the radius using the orbit anchor point.

5. Tap add new flight plan name to give your flight a name. Then tap the green check mark in the lower right hand corner. Your mission will now be saved.

The larger white circle in the middle is your anchor point. The white circle on the outside is your orbit anchor point. Use these to adjust your radius.

The larger white circle in the middle is your anchor point. The white circle on the outside is your orbit anchor point. Use these to adjust your radius.

6. Then click the fly button in the lower right hand corner to enter pre-flight. The fly button is the same button you just clicked to save the mission. The only thing that has changed is the symbol.

7. Use the altitude option on the left side of the screen to determine how high the drone will fly. We recommend 75-150 feet over the point of interest.

The path overlap option let’s you control the frequency at which the drone will take photos (high, medium or low). The Camera Angle option will allow you to set the pitch of the camera.

-90 degrees means the camera is positioned to look straight down. 
-0 degrees means the camera is positioned to look straight ahead.

When you tap submit, the mission will start to build.

The Take Off button is highlighted above. Grab it and move it to the center of the status bar. The lower portion of the screen will turn green with "Take Off" listed. Drag the icon on top of it.

The Take Off button is highlighted above. Grab it and move it to the center of the status bar. The lower portion of the screen will turn green with "Take Off" listed. Drag the icon on top of it.

And that’s it on your end! The drone will take off and ascend to the chosen height. The photo icons displayed on your screen are where photos are being captured. No need to worry about landing, once the mission is complete, the drone will automatically return to where it took off.

After that, simply remove the memory card, insert it into your computer and upload the images at app.botlink.com.

For more video tutorials, check out our YouTube channel.

To learn more about how Botlink’s drone software can help your business, visit www.botlink.com to start a free trial or chat with one of our customer support specialists. Download our free Botlink Capture mobile app for Android devices to start flying today!

That’s it! You’re good to use the Volume Measurement Tool at any time. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer support team. You can chat with a real live person on the phone at 701-412-2988, message us through the chat bubble on our website or check out FAQs at support.botlink.com.

And to learn more about how Botlink’s drone software can help your business, visit www.botlink.com to start a free trial. Download our free Botlink Capture mobile app for Android devices to start flying today!