3D Map
The 3D Map shows your field as a smooth 3D terrain surface, built from the elevation data of the processed survey. It replaces the earlier point-cloud (DotCloud) viewer, which proved not very informative in everyday farm work — instead of individual dots you get a continuous, readable landscape you can fly around.
Opening the 3D view
Section titled “Opening the 3D view”- Open a processed project.
- In the layers panel turn on the 3D Map layer.
The 3D view opens in its own window — resizable, and it can go
full screen. The main map stays usable next to it, so you can
look at the 2D and 3D views side by side. Turning the layer off (or
pressing Esc) closes the window.
Rugged terrain — a quarry, a pit, a steep bank — is rendered true to life: the surface smoothing adapts to the terrain instead of flattening it. Agricultural fields look the same as before.
Display modes
Section titled “Display modes”The switch at the bottom of the 3D window offers:
- Ortho — the orthomosaic draped over the terrain: the field as it really looks, in 3D (default)
- NDVI — the vegetation-index map on the terrain: the index that was shown on the map when you opened the 3D window (any MS or RGB index, with its current range)
- Elevation — the bare terrain coloured by height
The NDVI option appears when the MS index / RGB index layer has been shown in the project before you open the 3D map; otherwise the switch shows only Ortho and Elevation. To drape a different index, select it in the index panel and reopen the 3D window.
Orbit — showcase animation
Section titled “Orbit — showcase animation”The orbit mode starts a slow, automatic rotation of the camera around the field. Great for demos and presentations — start it, go full screen, and the field presents itself.
Flythrough video (MP4 export)
Section titled “Flythrough video (MP4 export)”A flythrough is built from camera views you save, and DroneField flies smoothly from one to the next:
- Set up a view with the mouse and click the camera button to save it. Repeat for each view — the counter shows how many you have.
- Once at least two views are saved, enter the flight duration in seconds.
- Click ▶ to preview the flight (■ stops it).
- Click the film button to export it as an MP4 video. The trash button clears the saved views.
The video is saved as Exports/<project>_3d.mp4 — ready to drop
into a client report, a social post, or a sales presentation.
- The 3D Map works with any processed project — no extra processing step is needed.
- The surface is smoothed for readability; it is a visual terrain, not a survey-grade elevation product. For elevation analysis use the DSM layer.
- NDVI draping makes problem spots instantly obvious in client conversations — a weak patch on a slope tells its own story.