As you’ve probably heard by now, the newest update to DJI Fly adds a new waypoint feature to the DJI Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Classic. This long-awaited feature lets remote pilots plan a flight on the ground and then fly the route through waypoints onboard the aircraft. While this update falls short of the full SDK originally promised by DJI, it’s a step in the right direction.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the new waypoint feature is the format they use to create the waypoint, DJI’s own WayPoint Markup Language (WPML). WPML is the same standard that DJI uses on their newest line of enterprise drones, including the M30, M3E, and M30 series drones. While these drones have a much more robust flight environment in the DJI Pilot 2 app, the standardized WPML approach means there is some compatibility in waypoint routes developed for these platforms and those that will run on the Mavic 3.
The first thing to point out is that there is no easy way to access the route files on the Mavic 3 through the DJI Fly app. The files are only accessible through a file browser on your controller or device or through a USB connection between a computer and the device.
Once you’ve gained access to the file system you can see the file structure in the DJI Fly folder. Inside the primary folder for the DJI Fly app you’ll find a “wayline_mission” folder with all of the stored waypoint missions and associated files. These files aren’t synced between devices, but should be able to be copied between devices with the same OS. Inside the “wayline_mission” folder you’ll notice two or more additonal folders, “mission_db” and the mission folders being the most important.
The “mission_db” folder contains an SQLite file that contains the names, locations, and other relevant information about the waypoint missions stored on the device. The items in the SQL file must match the names of the folder and KMZ file in each of the mission folders.
Each mission folder contains a KMZ file that utilizes the DJI WPML format. The name of the KMZ must match the name of the folder for DJI Fly to access the waypoint mission.
Mission files can be generated in a number of ways. The quickest way is within the DJI Fly app. This is the way DJI intended for waypoint missions to be created on the Mavic 3.
Missions can also be created in the DJI Flighthub 2 web app, with a beta version currently offered for free from DJI. Missions created here can be exported from Flighthub and imported into DJI Fly by copying directly into the file structure on the device or controller. Some editing of the WPML file in the KMZ might be necessary in order to ensure functionality on the Mavic 3. This is due to the fact that Flighthub 2 is not designed to export missions to the Mavic 3, but instead the only for the enterprise models.
Another easy way to create missions is with SPH Engineering’s UgCS. UgCs allows the user to develop complicated flight paths and export them directly into the Mavic 3 with minor alterations. The same coding change may be required to specify the Mavic 3 vs the Mavic 3E in the WPML file.
