Module 6 Quick Field Guide
Camera coloring setup, scan splitting, drone mode parameters, aerial-ground fusion requirements, battery management, and data prep before processing.
Camera Coloring
Both L2 Pro and K2 produce color data from onboard cameras during scanning. No external camera or pre-scan camera configuration is required for either device. The processing pipeline you choose (LixelStudio for point cloud or LCC Studio for 3DGS) determines how the camera data is applied, but the scan itself captures the same raw camera data either way.
K2 produces real-time true-color point clouds during scanning. The K2's three onboard cameras (two fisheye + one forward-facing, 200°×200° panoramic coverage, 4000×3000 each) fuse imagery with the point cloud as you scan. Color quality is visible in the field, not the next day in processing. The L2 Pro carries 2 × 48 MP panoramic cameras plus a 1 MP positioning camera; color mapping is applied during processing in LixelStudio.
- Do not block onboard cameras during scanning. A jacket sleeve, bag strap, or arm held across a camera lens for an extended period degrades coloring for that portion of the scan.
- Avoid pointing cameras directly at the sun or other bright light sources during scanning. Direct overexposure corrupts color data for the affected area. v4.0 improved low-light performance significantly, but direct sun in frame still causes problems.
- The scan must run for a minimum of 2 minutes for coloring to process. A scan that ends at 90 seconds does not have sufficient data for the colorization step to complete.
- Maintain steady walking speed and avoid rapid rotations. Sharp angular movements reduce camera frame quality and produce blurred coloring on affected sections.
- Maintain adequate ambient lighting across all scanned areas. Bring supplemental lighting for very dim environments such as utility tunnels, deep basements, and shadowed mechanical spaces.
Battery Management and Scan Splitting
- L2 Pro and K2: up to 90 minutes per charge under standard conditions. Both devices use a 1,900 mAh clip-on battery.
- Cold weather (below 10°C): approximately 72 minutes. Plan battery counts using the 72-minute figure for cold-weather projects.
- Add time for initialization at each segment start (approximately 30 to 45 seconds each), travel between areas, and setup time.
- End scanning before battery level drops below 20%. Below 10% means under 5 minutes of runtime. End immediately.
- Do not power off during save. After tapping Stop, the device writes the project file to internal storage. This takes 30 to 60 seconds. The green LED flashing fast indicates saving is in progress. Powering off during save corrupts the project file and the data is not recoverable.
- Plan split points before battery level drops below 20%. Do not wait until the device is nearly dead.
- Scan past the intended split point by at least 15 meters to create the required overlap zone for Map Fusion.
- Begin the next segment by returning to the overlap zone and scanning at least 15 meters of the previously scanned area before continuing into new coverage.
- Map Fusion limits that apply to all split projects: maximum 10 segments, maximum 200 minutes total, maximum 20 minutes per segment, same device model throughout.
L2 Pro Drone Mode
Drone mode is available on the L2 Pro only. The K2 is a handheld-only device and is not drone-mountable. Compatible drones for L2 Pro: DJI M300 RTK and M350 RTK. The drone provides RTK positioning via its own GNSS system.
- Remove the RTK module from the L2 Pro before mounting. In drone mode, the drone provides RTK. The L2 Pro's own RTK module must be removed before the device is installed in the mounting bracket.
- Mount the L2 Pro in the drone bracket and engage the green safety lock.
- Connect the L2 Pro to the drone via the Type-C power cable.
- Power the drone first. Then power the L2 Pro. When powered through the Type-C cable, the L2 Pro initializes in Drone Mode. If you power the L2 Pro with its own battery first, it initializes in handheld mode and drone positioning will not function correctly.
- Configure settings in LixelGO before takeoff. Verify Drone Mode is active in the app.
- The DJI drone will display a camera obstruction warning during flight. This is expected and does not affect the scan. The L2 Pro body partially covers a downward-facing obstacle avoidance camera. Do not abort the flight for this warning.
Drone Mode Flight Parameters
Aerial-Ground Fusion
Aerial-ground fusion combines drone imagery with ground-level scan data to produce a unified model covering both roof-level and interior geometry. The field collection procedure is the same regardless of which software pipeline is used. Both L2 Pro and K2 are supported as the ground scanner.
- LCC Scan app version 1.2.0_p1 or higher and firmware version V3.2.3-20251104.144651 or higher are required for the aerial-ground fusion control point button to appear in the interface. If the button is not visible, update both before the site visit.
- Minimum hardware for processing: 16-core CPU, 96 to 128 GB RAM, NVIDIA RTX 4090.
- Aerial data input: 100 to 10,000 drone images.
- Plan for 24 to 48 hours or more of processing time for large sites.
- Place 4 to 5 fusion points distributed evenly across the full extent of the site. Points clustered at one end of the site will not provide adequate geometric constraint across the full project area.
- No part of the project boundary should be more than 50 to 100 meters from the nearest fusion point.
- Fusion points must be visible from both the drone (overhead) and from the ground scan path. Place them in open areas accessible during the ground scan.
- Mark each fusion point during the ground scan using the aerial-ground fusion control point button in LCC Scan.
Data Preparation Checklist
- Keep the original data on device storage until processing is complete and output has been verified. Do not delete device files after copying. The K2's 512 GB internal eMMC is not field-swappable, so plan storage management around end-of-day transfers, not mid-session card swaps.
- Confirm workstation RAM before processing: LixelStudio requires approximately 2 GB of RAM per minute of scan data. A 30-minute scan requires approximately 60 GB of RAM. A 60-minute scan requires approximately 120 GB.
- For multi-segment projects, organize each segment into its own named folder before importing. Inconsistent folder structure across a large project causes files to reference wrong segments and extends deliverable preparation time significantly.
- If drone data is included, keep it in a clearly labeled separate folder at the same level as the ground segment folders. Name it with a
_Dronesuffix to distinguish it from ground scan segments.
Critical Warnings
- Data loss Do not power off during save. After tapping Stop, the device writes the project file for 30 to 60 seconds. The fast-flashing green LED means save is in progress. Powering off during this window corrupts the project file. The data is not recoverable.
- Warning Onboard cameras must remain unobstructed during scanning. A blocked lens for an extended period produces coloring gaps for the affected portion of the scan. Maintain a grip that keeps all camera lenses clear of clothing, straps, or hands.
- Warning Minimum 2-minute scan duration for coloring to complete. Shorter scans do not have sufficient camera data for the colorization step. Pad short scans with additional walk time before tapping Stop.
- Warning Remove the RTK module before mounting the L2 Pro on a drone. Leaving the RTK module attached in drone mode causes positioning conflicts between the module and the drone's own GNSS system. (Drone mode applies to L2 Pro only. K2 RTK is built-in and not removable; K2 is handheld only.)
- Warning Power the drone before the L2 Pro in drone mode. Powering the L2 Pro first causes it to initialize in handheld mode, not drone mode. The power sequence must be drone first, then L2 Pro via the Type-C cable.
- Warning The aerial-ground fusion button requires LCC Scan v1.2.0_p1 and firmware V3.2.3 or higher. If either is outdated, the button does not appear in the interface. Verify both versions before the site visit, not during it.
- Warning Flying above 5 m/s or above 50 m altitude degrades point density noticeably. Both values are soft limits. The scanner continues operating, but the resulting data will have gaps and reduced density that cannot be corrected after collection.
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