Table of Contents

Use a panoramic camera to acquire spatial data

This guide describes how to use a panoramic camera (currently GoPro Max/Max2 is supported) at the acquisition site to acquire the environmental data required by Mega. The quality of acquired data directly affects data usability and the Mega localization effect. Make sure you carefully read this document before acquisition.

Preparation

Note

Current Mega panoramic camera acquisition only supports GoPro Max/Max2 cameras. Acquisition with other brands of panoramic cameras is not supported yet.

Start acquisition

Important

Before starting acquisition, make sure again that panoramic camera settings have been checked according to the checklist contents, and confirm the planned acquisition route again.

  • Confirm that the environment meets requirements

    • Avoid acquisition when there are many people nearby.

    • Avoid acquisition when lighting is intense, such as at noon on a sunny day.

    • Avoid acquisition on rainy, snowy, or foggy days.

  • Power on and prepare

    • Remove the lens protection covers from the GoPro Max/Max2 camera and power it on.

    • Fix the camera securely on the selfie stick, with the side that has the screen facing yourself.

    • Make sure there are nearby objects such as buildings or statues within 3 meters of the acquisition start point. For example, do not choose the middle of a large square as the start point.

    • If the acquisition route includes outdoor areas, power on the camera in an open outdoor place first, wait in standby for more than 2 minutes, and then go to the acquisition start point to begin acquisition.

  • Start acquisition

    • Hold the panoramic camera about 20 cm above your head. Do not hold it too high or too low, and keep the selfie stick vertical.

    • Press the start recording button, or use the GoPro Quik APP to control the camera to start recording.

    • At the start point, move sideways more than 2 meters while facing nearby texture-rich buildings or walls.

During acquisition

  • Hold the selfie stick tightly throughout acquisition and keep the camera as stable as possible.

  • Keep walking speed below 1 meter/second, avoid rapid movement, and do not run, ride a bicycle, or acquire from a vehicle.

  • When turning or making a U-turn, reduce turning speed to avoid rapid rotation.

  • Avoid obstacles. Indoors, pay attention to ceiling height, and do not bump or wipe the camera.

Important

Panoramic data acquisition is different from ordinary video shooting. Acquisition specifications must be followed. Otherwise, even if the video is complete, the final data may be unusable and require re-acquisition.

End acquisition

  • After acquisition ends, stop shooting by pressing the shooting button or through the GoPro Quik APP, and wait until storage is complete.

  • Check that the video duration saved by the camera is consistent with the actual acquisition duration.

Avoid invalid acquisition data

Non-standard acquisition may make the data invalid, that is, acquisition data unusable. Common reasons include the following. Please avoid them as much as possible, and if they occur, re-acquire.

  • ❌ Forgetting to remove the lens protection covers, including transparent protection covers.

  • ❌ Abnormal stop of shooting, such as camera battery depletion, storage card running out of space, or automatic shutdown due to camera overheating protection.

  • ❌ Camera bumping during acquisition, such as hitting a door frame or beam.

  • ❌ Camera falling or slipping from the selfie stick during acquisition.

  • ❌ Acquisition by taking an elevator, cable car, or bicycle, acquisition on a moving boat, acquisition while holding an umbrella, and similar methods.

  • ❌ Removing the camera during acquisition to wipe the lens.

  • ❌ The selfie stick is not kept vertical during acquisition and leans against the body.

FAQ

  • Detailed acquisition of key objects/areas

    If you need to acquire a large sculpture or large object and generate a relatively detailed model, acquire around the object multiple times from far to near.

  • Road construction or blocked road encountered

    The recommended solution is to re-plan the route and re-acquire. In special cases, turn around at the blocked location and then continue along other routes.

  • The route has ticket gates or one-way exits and cannot be acquired continuously

    The recommended solution is to re-plan the route, re-acquire, and separate indoor and outdoor areas.

Next steps

After panoramic data acquisition is complete,

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