Pix4Dbim VS Propeller Aero

You could try 3DR Site Scan, unlimited cloud processing (2000 or 2500 images per flight and they told me you can merge these) for somewhere around $700 a month and you can load in Civil 3D files like LandXML surfaces to compare and do volumes, similar to Propeller. The difference is Propeller uses Trimble TTM surfaces. The only design files you can import into PIX4D BIM are PDF drawings that you then have to georeference yourself. It's pretty hokey. However, if you're looking at construction involving concrete you might be using a local site calibration which is where Propeller has the advantage in the way it easily handles ground calibrations using a Trimble JXL file.

You can buy a P4P RTK with a Propeller target and use the 1 year PPK license to upload and process your JXL images and target positions (you can tag the center with your RTK and include the XYZ) to then use in another processing platform. Not sure if you can just hack the target to get the RINEX data off of it and process the images yourself using RTKLib or an expensive program like KLAU.

You can tag your own GCP's in Site Scan and it's effectively just a front end for PIX4D Enterprise on AWS/Azure servers so it provides your typical PIX4D quality report.?ÿ

I have used PIX4D Mapper on an MSI laptop for many years and for not much more than you are going to pay for Propeller per year, you can get a P4P with accessories, a perpetual license of PIX4D and an Alienware Area51 laptop and be done with spending money for a while. Your only cost after this is your yearly software license to continue cloud processing and update the program. They used to give you unlimited cloud processing but there is now a cap but you can pay for more.

@mjs Thanks for the info! I didnt realize that Pix4d Bim wouldnt take a local site calibration which is all we use. I had seen Pix doesnt support cad imports unless their just a pdf which is an odd idea on their end. You'd think they'd let you import a dxf or dwg...

I tried the pix4d bim demo but the desktop app kept crashing which would probably mean I need a new computer and I just got this one a few weeks ago lol.

I'm also not a huge fan of the data report that pix generates. 

Do you still use Pix? I guess I thought it was the cheaper alternative but it may not end up being the case. 

Also what drone do you run? I was thinking of getting the Phantom 4 Pro V2

I'm not sure you are properly informed about Pix4d products. From my understand Pix4dBIM works with a camera attached to a Crane. Pix4dMapper processes Drone mounted camera data. I may be wrong. There is a substantial cost difference also. I have only used Pix4Dmapper with drone data from DJI4 Pro, 4 Pro 2, and 4RTK. Both appear to export the same clouds, DSMs, meshes, and ortho. Not just PDF files as noted by others. It can export DXF, LAS, DSM, TIF, etc. Not sure why you want to import a DXF or DWG into Pix4D?

?ÿ

Pix4DMapper certainly does work local coordinates (site calibration), they call this Arbitrary Coordinate System.

?ÿ

Here are drone ortho showing capped rebar on a concrete foundation rehab site.

@wisco10 As Lee says in his post, you can use local coordinates in PIX4D Mapper, it's just not as slick as the Propeller system. It's one of Propeller's main selling points. It appears to be a great system for earthworks (except for the price per flight) especially if you're a Trimble user, although it appears you are not. We still use P4P's Version 1&2 with Map Pilot and they're pretty great for the price. We seemed to have fewer problems with the V1 but you can only buy V2's now. I want a P4P RTK but flying in hilly terrain is much easier with Map Pilot than the flight app for the RTK. It sounds like it's close to being user friendly but just not quite there. Maybe the next update will finally work.

We used to process on the Desktop and cloud with PIX4D Mapper and share the cloud links with many other departments. People found so many uses for them. It would have been even better for earthworks field engineers, superintendents etc to have the design surfaces and linework in there as well to plan their work. We tried getting them set up with TBC HCE to compare LAS files to design but that was a gong show. Propeller and 3DR Site scan both allow you to do that and have control over what other departments are looking at. Probably not as useful in concrete as earthworks though.

I looked at PIX4D BIM a few years ago and it does work with both UAV's and the crane system but I didn't dig very deep when they told me the only thing you can import are PDF files.

We are currently one month into our site scan subscription and it is amazing!?ÿ propellers price is absurdly high compared and pix4d doesn't have half the capabilities and i found it was intuitive at all.

$6,000 a year with unlimited flights.

since Esri bought them im sure the price with go up but also since they bought them they are improving the software all the time and have amazing customer support.?ÿ?ÿ

What improvements have they made Shayne? I was evaluating it in November and they told me it doesn't work with local coordinate systems and you couldn't filter the point cloud in Site Scan. One of their example datasets had oblique images and a bunch of noise in the background that I wouldn't want to show a client. These aren't deal-breakers for me as I have a TBC advanced license but the OP is looking to work in local systems..

as for improvements they have added corridor scan, auto detection for GCPs and the abilities to export csv from a selected area and little things here and there.?ÿ?ÿ

as for your results are only going to be as good as your flight.