GeoTIFF
Orthophoto
Georeferenced mosaic for GIS and CAD workflows.
Early access · Try Terapetra todayFull 1.0 release on the way
Offline drone photogrammetry on your desktop
Process drone imagery locally with survey-grade photogrammetry—orthomosaics, point clouds, DSM/DTM, and textured mesh—with GIS-ready exports. Offline desktop software: no cloud upload, no SaaS subscription.
0.12.0-beta.1 · 30-day free trial · Windows & Linux installers · early-access release
Start a 30-day trial in the desktop app after install. Questions or feedback: contact@terapetra.com
Deliverables you can hand off
Terapetra targets survey-grade desktop outputs under 05_exports/—processed locally, not in a hosted cloud pipeline.
GeoTIFF
DSM / DTM
Surface models for volume, drainage, and terrain analysis.
LAS / LAZ
Point cloud
Classified or raw clouds via PDAL in 05_exports/.
PLY / OBJ
Textured mesh
Open3D Poisson mesh with vertex colors from dense RGB.
CSV / residuals
GCP report
Ground control residuals and survey metadata from the GCP editor.
DSM diff / CSV
Volumetric analysis
Cut/fill and stockpile estimates from DSM/DTM surface comparisons.
Export files appear under 05_exports/ after each run. Download installers →
Use cases
Common drone mapping jobs that fit a local-first desktop workflow.
Construction progress
Generate orthophotos and surface models for site updates and measurement checks.
Stockpile volumes
Use DSM/DTM outputs for quick cut/fill and material volume estimates.
Corridor mapping
Map roads, rivers, or power lines with organized exports for GIS handoff.
Forestry & canopy
Produce canopy surfaces and point clouds for analysis and reporting workflows.
Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) calculator
Pick your drone and photo resolution, enter flight height—we apply sensor and lens data from manufacturer specs.
GSD (cm/pixel) = (sensor width mm × flight height m × 100) ÷ (focal length mm × image width px)
Estimated GSD—cm/pixel
- Sub-2 cm — High-detail surveying, construction as-built
- 2–5 cm — Standard drone mapping and progress monitoring
- > 5 cm — Wide-area overview or high-altitude flights
What you can use today
Run real drone projects locally and export GIS-ready deliverables from your desktop.
5 stages
Images → Export
Sparse through orthophoto, cloud, and mesh
GUI + CLI
Same pipeline
Desktop app or Terapetra CLI
Local-first
Your machine
No cloud upload required
- Orthomosaic, DSM/DTM, point cloud (LAS/LAZ), and textured 3D mesh exports
- VRAM-aware checks before dense reconstruction
- Windows installer, portable zip, or Linux AppImage
End-to-end on your machine
COLMAP sparse and dense, Open3D mesh, then GDAL and PDAL for LAS, DSM/DTM, and orthophotos—one desktop workflow from import to deliverables.
Pipeline · Importing images…
- Images
- Sparse
- Dense
- Mesh
- Geospatial
- Export
GUI when you need it, CLI when you don't
Use a visual desktop app or automate the same pipeline from the terminal—without switching products.
- Desktop app for projects, progress, map/3D viewers, and GCP editing.
- Terapetra CLI for batch jobs with low, medium, and high quality presets.
- EXIF GPS drives spatial matching when your photos include coordinates.
- YAML configuration for reproducible, survey-grade runs.
Move fast. Break nothing.
Short feedback loops keep you in flow—from first import to export folders you can audit.
- Re-run stages without rebuilding the entire project from scratch.
- Per-stage logs and structured output folders from sparse through exports.
- VRAM-aware capacity gates before dense reconstruction starts.
- Windows installer, portable zip, and Linux AppImage on every release.
Why Terapetra
Local processing
Run photogrammetry on your workstation. Imagery and outputs stay on disks you control.
GPU when it helps
CUDA accelerates COLMAP-heavy stages with CPU fallback and VRAM-aware capacity gates.
Organized outputs
Structured folders from 01_sparse/ through 05_exports/, with per-stage logs.
Reproducible runs
Low, medium, and high presets plus YAML configuration for repeatable surveys.
Terapetra Features: Aerial Photos to GIS-Ready Maps
End-to-end pipeline
COLMAP sparse and dense, Open3D mesh, then PDAL/GDAL for LAS, DSM/DTM, and orthophotos.
GPS-aware workflow
EXIF GPS drives spatial matching and georeferenced exports when photos include coordinates.
GPU acceleration
NVIDIA CUDA recommended; CPU fallback available.
Quality presets
low, medium, high presets balance speed vs detail for reproducible runs.
Organized outputs
Structured folders: 01_sparse/ 02_dense/ 03_mesh/ 04_geospatial/ 05_exports/with logs per project.
One-time purchase, not a subscription
Terapetra is offline desktop photogrammetry—you buy the application for your machine. No cloud processing meter and no annual SaaS seat for the core workflow. Full pricing page →
Terapetra
One-time desktop license
Planned at stable 1.0 launch: pay once for the offline app. Processing stays on your GPU/CPU—imagery does not upload to Terapetra servers.
Typical cloud mapping suites
Annual subscription
Many competitors charge per year per product or seat, often with optional cloud upload tiers and renewal fees on top of desktop licenses.
Exact price and editions will be announced at 1.0. Until then, use the free 30-day desktop evaluation trial—no web registration required to download. License details →
How Terapetra compares for offline drone mapping
Transparent positioning against common photogrammetry desktop tools—local processing, licensing, and data sovereignty.
| Capability | Pix4Dmapper | Agisoft Metashape Pro | Terapetra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processing architecture | Desktop + optional cloud (extra subscription) | Desktop offline with GPU | Optimized offline engine on your GPU/CPU |
| Licensing model | Annual subscription (~USD 3,990/product/year) | Perpetual license (high upfront cost) | One-time desktop license (planned at 1.0); 30-day trial today |
| Survey data sovereignty | Cloud workflows may upload imagery | Local after activation | 100% local—imagery never leaves your machine |
| GIS-ready exports | GeoTIFF, LAS, mesh formats | GeoTIFF, LAS, classified clouds | GeoTIFF ortho/DSM/DTM, LAS/LAZ, PLY/OBJ mesh in 05_exports/ |
| Automation | Limited CLI / batch options | Python scripting | Terapetra CLI + YAML presets (same pipeline as GUI) |
Pricing and cloud tiers change over time—verify on vendor sites before purchase decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Drone Photogrammetry Processing
Does Terapetra require an internet connection?
No for processing. Photogrammetry runs entirely offline on your computer. Internet is only needed to download the installer or check for updates.
Is there a cloud or SaaS version?
No. Terapetra is offline desktop software only. There is no cloud processing pipeline, web API, or subscription service.
When is the full 1.0 release?
Version 1.0 is coming soon. You can already download the early-access installer from the download page on this site, verify SHA256 checksums, and use the free 30-day trial in the desktop app.
How can I get more information?
Email contact@terapetra.com for licensing, trials, partnerships, and general product questions.
Do I need ground control points (GCPs)?
Many nadir drone projects with EXIF GPS complete without manual GCPs. You can add control points in the GCP editor when survey-grade accuracy is required.
How does the 30-day evaluation trial work?
Download the installer without web registration. Activate the trial in the first-run dialog inside the desktop application.
Is Terapetra open source?
Terapetra application code is proprietary. Third-party components are licensed separately and listed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.
What GPU do I need?
NVIDIA CUDA is recommended for COLMAP dense stages. Terapetra falls back to CPU and estimates VRAM before dense reconstruction.
Can I automate without the GUI?
Yes. Use the Terapetra CLI with quality presets and YAML configuration—the same offline pipeline as the desktop app.
Where do outputs go?
Projects use folders 01_sparse/ through 05_exports/ with per-stage logs under logs/.
What if the app crashes during dense reconstruction?
Check logs/ for the failing stage, lower the quality preset, and ensure enough free disk space and RAM. Re-run from the last completed stage when supported. Report reproducible crashes to contact@terapetra.com with your hardware tier.
Download Terapetra
Get the latest installer from the download page—Windows, portable zip, or Linux AppImage. Verify SHA256 checksums before installing, then follow the documentation for your first project.
Installers and SHA256 checksums: download page
Minimum System Requirements for Terapetra Drone Photogrammetry
RAM is the primary limit on maximum project size (photo count and resolution). GPU VRAM affects dense reconstruction speed.
| Tier | Basic (laptop / standard PC) | Advanced (workstation) |
|---|---|---|
| Use case | < 500 images | 1,500+ images |
| CPU | 4–12 cores, 2.0 GHz+ | i7/i9 or Ryzen 7/9, 6–32 cores, 3.0 GHz+ |
| RAM | 16–32 GB | 32–128 GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX 2060+ (CUDA) | NVIDIA RTX 3080/4070+ (CUDA) |
- Windows 10/11 64-bit (primary); Linux AppImage also provided.
- Python 3.10+ for source installs via the Terapetra engine conda environment (`terapetra-engine` / `tpe`).
- 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB+ recommended); SSD storage for datasets.
- NVIDIA GPU with CUDA recommended but not required.
- External tools on PATH (source): COLMAP, GDAL, PDAL
Terapetra application code is proprietary. Third-party components are licensed separately and listed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.