FIELD GUIDE · UNBUILT SINGLE-FAMILY LOT · GAUSSIAN SPLAT CAPTURE

Five-Orbit
Lot Capture

Circle the future home site five times, top to bottom. The drone shoots a photo every 2 seconds the whole way around. High orbits sell the setting; low orbits sell the lot.

5 ORBITS 360° EACH 250–400 PHOTOS 1 BATTERY

The real mission, reconstructed — every pyramid is one photo position. Five numbered orbits, each lower, tighter and steeper than the last, circling the subject lot (outlined in red).

THE FIVE ORBITS

400FT The setting Horizon ¼ down from the top; lot small and low in frame 850–1,000 ft
−10 to −14° 300FT The street scene Thin band of sky at the top edge 575–700 ft
−15 to −19° 200FT The lot in context No sky; lot centered in frame 340–420 ft
−24 to −28° 150FT Lot detail No sky; lot fills the frame 220–280 ft
−27 to −31° 100FT The buyer's-eye view Sliver of sky or tree line at the very top 170–220 ft
−17 to −21°

Fly the ladder top-down: 400 → 300 → 200 → 150 → 100 ft. Shoot on a 2-second interval; pause the camera between orbits while you descend and reset. Fly smooth, unhurried laps — slower is better down low.

GIMBAL ANGLES — WHY THEY CHANGE

The gimbal does two jobs: framing the story and feeding the splat. A splat needs the same ground seen from many different angles — shallow up high, steep in the middle, shallow again down low. That spread is what makes the model solid from every viewpoint.

400 FT · −10 TO −14°Shallow. Center of frame aims past the lot at the far surroundings and sky. The context layer.

300 FT · −15 TO −19°Still shallow. Street and neighborhood fill the frame; keep a thin strip of sky.

200 FT · −24 TO −28°Steep. Aim at the lot itself — no sky. This is where the ground detail comes from.

150 FT · −27 TO −31°Steepest. Lot dead center, filling the frame. Maximum angle diversity on the ground.

100 FT · −17 TO −21°Back off — don't stare at dirt. Looking across the lot gives the near-eye-level views.

Set the angle by eye, not by the number. Tilt until the frame check reads true; the ranges are where it usually lands.

ORBIT 1 OF 5

400 FTThe setting

RADIUS850–1,000 ft GIMBAL−10 to −14°

horizon ¼ down

SUBJECT LOT

FRAME CHECKHorizon ¼ down from the top; lot small and low in frame

WHAT IT CAPTURESNeighborhood, water, tree lines, sky

Shallow gimbal. The center of frame aims past the lot at the far surroundings — this is the context layer. The lot stays small, three-quarters down the frame, and the views do the talking.

ORBIT 2 OF 5

300 FTThe street scene

RADIUS575–700 ft GIMBAL−15 to −19°

thin sky band

SUBJECT LOT

FRAME CHECKThin band of sky at the top edge

WHAT IT CAPTURESSurrounding homes and amenities

Still shallow. Streets, rooftops and amenities fill the frame, with the lot two-thirds of the way down. Keep just a thin strip of sky — this orbit places the lot in its neighborhood.

ORBIT 3 OF 5

200 FTThe lot in context

RADIUS340–420 ft GIMBAL−24 to −28°

SUBJECT LOT

FRAME CHECKNo sky; lot centered in frame

WHAT IT CAPTURESThe lot and its immediate neighbors

Steep. Aim at the lot itself — no sky anywhere in frame. From this orbit down you are feeding ground detail into the model; this is where it gets its substance.

ORBIT 4 OF 5

150 FTLot detail

RADIUS220–280 ft GIMBAL−27 to −31°

SUBJECT LOT

FRAME CHECKNo sky; lot fills the frame

WHAT IT CAPTURESGrading, boundaries, ground texture

Steepest gimbal of the mission. The lot fills the middle of the frame: property lines, grading and ground texture, seen from every side of the circle.

ORBIT 5 OF 5

100 FTThe buyer's-eye view

RADIUS170–220 ft GIMBAL−17 to −21°

tree line at top

SUBJECT LOT

FRAME CHECKSliver of sky or tree line at the very top

WHAT IT CAPTURESHow living there feels

Back off the gimbal — you're looking across the lot, not down at it. These near-eye-level frames become the views a buyer sees standing on their future porch; a steep angle here would just photograph dirt.