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How-to guides

Goal-oriented recipes for when you already know your way around. Each is the short path to a specific result; for the full description of any control, follow the Reference link at the end of the recipe. New to Studio? Start with the Tutorial instead.

Run a complete survey, field to deliverable

A full survey-grade job, in order — each step links to its reference and to the focused recipes below.

  1. Set up the project — create it, locate the site, draw the boundary, and set the coordinate system and height type. → Project Information
  2. Plan the mission — pick the camera and the height that delivers your required GSD. → Pre-Flight
  3. Plan your targets — choose how many to place and where, and run Suggest Colors. → Target Planning
  4. Fly — place your SmarTargets and capture the imagery.
  5. Process ground control — import the logs, set the reference, and process. → Data Manager · Datum · Process (see also Set a known base position)
  6. Review and cull — drop redundant and out-of-boundary photos. → Cull redundant photos
  7. Tag control — pinpoint each GCP across several photos. → Tag a ground-control point
  8. Build — confirm the inputs, check the prediction, pick your outputs, and start the cloud build. → Build a model
  9. View and deliver — explore, measure, and present the results. → Orbiter

Imagery-only job (no base station or ground control)? Skip steps 3, 5, and 7 and lean on coverage and self-consistency for quality.

Set a known base position

When you have a surveyed coordinate for your base, enter it so results are absolutely accurate, not just relatively accurate.

  1. Open the Datum tab and confirm the correct base RINEX file is selected.
  2. In Known Position, enter the base's surveyed latitude, longitude, and altitude.
  3. Re-run Process so the units correct against the known position.

→ Reference → Datum · Explanation → Getting accurate results

Cull redundant photos

Cut processing time and credits without losing coverage.

  1. Open Flight Review after loading the flight's photos.
  2. Open the filter popup and trim by redundancy, by the boundary, and with the coverage-band slider.
  3. Watch the coverage statistics and map update — keep enough overlap everywhere while dropping photos that only repeat what neighbors already saw.
  4. Use the Outside flag to drop photos shot well beyond your site.

→ Reference → Flight Review

Tag a ground-control point

Pinpoint where a GCP appears in your photos so the model georeferences accurately.

  1. Open Target Finder after loading ground control, and pick a GCP.
  2. The crosshair mask shows the predicted location; rotate and size it to line up with the target.
  3. Nudge the crosshair to the exact pixel with the D-pad, then Set Target.
  4. Step Back/Next through several well-spread photos and tag it in each.
  5. Let the green / yellow / red quality tiers steer you — revisit yellow and red.

→ Reference → Target Finder

Build a model (Draft vs Standard) and check the credit cost

  1. Open Build Model and confirm the photos and ground control going in.
  2. Read the Prediction card — GSD, modeled area, counts, download size, and the estimated credits.
  3. Pick a processing option: Draft for a fast look, Standard for final deliverables.
  4. Choose only the Outputs you need — each one adds time and credits.
  5. Turn on clip to boundary for clean edges, then start the cloud build.

Your balance is under Help → About, and processing runs under Zero Persistence Computing. → Reference → Build Model · Cloud builds

Measure a stockpile or excavation volume

  1. In Orbiter's 2D view, draw a Polygon around the feature's rim — the toe of a pile, or the lip of a hole.
  2. In the Properties card's Volume section, pick the Source surface (DSM or DTM) and a Base mode (average / lowest / best-fit plane / custom).
  3. Read Fill (material above the base) for a pile, or Cut (void below the base) for an excavation.

→ Reference → Drawing on the 2D viewer

Export contours and drawings to CAD (DXF)

  1. Name your drawn elements deliberately — each Name becomes its DXF layer.
  2. In Orbiter's 3D contour tools, click Export DXF.
  3. The file is written immediately to the project's Reports folder as {project}.dxf, in the project's grid coordinate system, with contours on CONTOUR_MAJOR / CONTOUR_MINOR and each drawing on its own named layer.

→ Reference → Exporting contours and drawings to CAD (DXF)