37 – Drones and Civil Engineering

Can I use expensive toys and get paid for it? Yes, please.

Civil FX Updates

New link for the mailing list www.civilfx.com/m
Not only will you get all visualization and other updates but you will also get a free PDF called “7 things you need to know about 3D Visualization in civil engineering”
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Drones in Civil Engineering

Let’s get the legal aspects of using drones out of the way first
Second is the terminology: UAV or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is the proper term but terms like drone, multirotor or quadcopter are also used as well
Why would you want to use a drone in civil engineering?
The obvious answer is site videos before, during and after construction
Not only can this be an important communication tool between the project and the public or other stakeholders, but this footage can also be used for coordination

Drones in 3D Visualization

The most exciting aspects of using UAVs in civil engineering, for me, is the potential for 3D visualization
There are several different ways that aerial footage could be used for 3D visualization
The first is to create 3D objects (buildings, terrain, infrastructure features) using photoscanning as discussed in episode 36
The second is to use compositing to overlay 3D models on actual footage
This is how Hollywood special effects are often created and saves a lot of time on modeling
The third reason is that I just really want to have an excuse to play with toys and call it my job 😀

Drone Gear

The best drone for you will depend on how much of a maker you are
If you want to build your own quadcoptor from scratch you can get complete kits and guides online
If you want something that just works out of the box you can buy those as well
Good quadcoptors with cameras (or capable of carrying cameras) can cost thousands
DJI is an exciting company with a line of high end quadcopters capable of capturing amazing footage