The new Interior view within DroneDeploy equips Construction, Property Management, and Energy customers with the ability to organize their interior Walks and Levels alongside maps and models on multi-level sites within DroneDeploy.
In this article, we will cover:
- Overview of Interior Levels
- Creating a Level
- Uploading a Drawing to a Level
- Drawing Alignment
- Switching and Managing Levels
- Adding Media to Levels
- FAQ
Overview
The Level View at a glance:
A clear view of interior Walks on specific Levels
Organize captures, associated Drawings, and Issues by location on the project site
Compare & Inspect Walks on the same Level over time
Creating new Levels and uploading corresponding Drawings and Walks allows for seamless navigation from maps and models of the site exterior, to ground-based captures across multiple Levels on the building interior.
The new Interior Level view mode is activated by clicking on the Interior tab at the top right of the EXPLORE page.
Creating a Level
Levels can be added to a project from the Interior view mode.
If this is the first time you are accessing the Interior view you will be asked to upload a drawing, which will then prompt you to create a Level.
- Click + Upload drawing, and you will be prompted to create and name a Level to which the overlay will be added.
Once the Level has been named, click Add Level.
Uploading a Drawing to a Level
You will then be prompted to upload your first Interior drawing. Select your Drawing and start the upload!
Note: You can upload drawings directly from your projects in Procore, Autodesk BIM 360, or PlanGrid into DroneDeploy.
Multiple overlays can be added to a level (think HVAC or MEP plans in addition to architectural), but at least one floor plan must be uploaded before Walks can be added to the Level.
Drawing Alignment
Once your Drawing has been uploaded, you’ll be automatically taken to the alignment screen. Here, you can choose which Level you want to add the Drawing to (it will default to the Level or map you viewed last), and choose your alignment points.
Follow the alignment steps on your screen! Drag the two markers on the left to align the Drawing using recognizable features on the map.
Once you have completed the alignment, you'll see a processing notice when the Drawing has been uploaded. This is expected and you will have a low-resolution placeholder available!
Switching and Managing Levels
Once a Level has been added to your project, a Level selector will appear at the top next to the Interior tab.
You can navigate to any Level within a project and view the media types uploaded to each Level.
Use the Manage Levels button to reorder, delete, and edit your Levels!
Note: Admins and editors in DroneDeploy can edit Level names, reorder Levels, or delete them at any time via the Manage Levels modal.
Deleting a level will not delete the data on that level - Drawings, Walks, Media, and associated Issues will return to the Exterior Map view.
Adding Media to Levels
We allow Walks, Panos, Photos, and Videos to be uploaded on any Level.
From the Level select Upload next to Media in the left-side panel. From there you will be directed to the Smart Uploader where you can upload your media.
Walks can be added to a Level during upload as part of the alignment step or after upload with the steps below:
- Select the Walk layer on the left-side panel and click the three dots to the right of the name. Choose ‘Edit Location’. This will take to to the alignment page, where you can choose the level that you’d like to move your Walk to.
- After hitting ‘Done’, you will be taken to the new Level the Walk has been added to, and any associated Issues will be moved to the Level as well.
FAQs:
I have existing Walks in DroneDeploy - how can I use Levels? Existing Walks can be migrated to Levels without needing to re-upload. Selecting ‘Edit Location’ from the sidebar will take you to the Alignment page, where a Level can be selected
Will an existing Drawing be added to a Level? No, at this time you will need to re-upload the existing Drawing in order to add it to the new Level.
Can multiple Walks be added to the same Level? Yes, customers can add as many Walks as they’d like to a Drawing on a Level.
Can multiple Drawings be added to a Level? Yes - customers have shared that it may be valuable to have both architectural plan/demo drawing for a level available for reference.
What if my Walk covers multiple levels? Best practices for processing and visualization of Walks within DroneDeploy, is to keep capture limited to one Level. A workaround for this case is to reflect the capture area in the chosen Level name, and include Drawings from all areas walked on the Level.
What if my project has multiple buildings? Levels are our first introduction of grouping in DroneDeploy, and we’ve optimized for single buildings that are multi-level with this release. That being said, customers have flexibility in their Level naming and in what floor plans they add. We anticipate some users may use ‘Phases’ or ‘Buildings’ to organize their Walks within the Levels structure.