FPV Mode
FPV Mode is built for FPV drone radio controllers. It's a real-time FPV flight simulator running inside Blender — with physics-based flight, rate profiles, and deep settings for camera angle, ground plane, limits, and in-air behavior.
You can practice FPV flying, test routes, and capture FPV-style shots directly in Blender.
What You Need
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Controller | RC transmitter (e.g. Radiomaster TX16S) with EdgeTX or OpenTX |
| Platform | Windows (RC_HID_WIN backend via Windows Multimedia API) |
| Mode | Mode 2 recommended: CH1=roll, CH2=pitch, CH3=throttle, CH4=yaw |
FPV Mode uses the RC_HID_WIN backend — controls similar to LiftOff and FPV Logic and other sims. Cinematic Mode uses gamepads (Xbox, PlayStation); FPV Mode uses RC transmitters only.
Flight Physics
FPV Mode simulates real drone physics:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mass | Drone mass — affects inertia and response |
| Thrust Force | Motor power — how fast you climb |
| Gravity | Downward force (world −Z) |
| Drag | Air resistance — slows you down at speed |
These are in the FPV Physics panel (sidebar, when FPV mode is selected). Adjust them to match your real drone or preferred feel.
Rate Profiles
FPV Mode supports input curves from popular flight controllers:
| Profile | Use case |
|---|---|
| Gamma | Custom curve (like Cinematic mode) |
| Betaflight | Betaflight-style rates |
| Raceflight | Raceflight-style rates |
| KISS | KISS-style rates |
The built-in FPV Drone preset uses the KISS profile. You can switch profiles in the Rates & Profiles panel and tune pitch/roll/yaw rates (deg/s) and response time.
Ground & Floor
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ground Friction | Horizontal friction when on the floor — slows you down on landing |
| Ground Level Rate | When on ground and > 0: pitch/roll level to horizontal |
| Floor Z | World Z level of the floor — drone is "on ground" below this |
Create Floor Plane — Operator that adds a mesh plane at Floor Z. Use it to visualise the ground level in your scene.
Camera Gimbal
In FPV Mode, the camera is attached to the drone body via a gimbal. You can offset the camera view from the body:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gimbal Pitch | Tilt camera up/down relative to body |
| Gimbal Roll | Roll camera relative to body |
The Drone Model (if enabled) uses body orientation only; the camera follows body + gimbal.
Drone Model (Visual)
- Drone Model — Checkbox to show/hide a quadcopter mesh (DroneModel + propellers) in the viewport.
- Add Drone Model — Operator that adds the quadcopter. Loads from
res/drone_model.blendor builds from primitives. - Propeller Speed — How fast propellers spin (visual only).
The drone and propellers are positioned from the body quaternion. Useful for reference and preview.
FOV (3-Position Switch)
In FPV Mode, FOV is controlled by a 3-position switch (e.g. CH7 on the RC):
| Position | Effect |
|---|---|
| Center | No change |
| Up | Zoom in |
| Down | Zoom out |
Map the FOV axis in the Mapping panel (map_fov_axis_fpv).
Input Mapping (FPV)
Default Mode 2 mapping:
| Channel | Control |
|---|---|
| CH1 | Roll |
| CH2 | Pitch |
| CH3 | Throttle |
| CH4 | Yaw |
| CH6 | R (aux) |
| CH7 | U (FOV 3-pos) |
Buttons (RC_B0–RC_B15):
| Default | Action |
|---|---|
| RC_B0, RC_B1 | Roll buttons |
| RC_B2 | Play timeline |
| RC_B3 | Jump to Start |
| RC_B4 | Delete Last Pass |
All mappings can be changed in the Mapping panel.
Timeline Recording
FPV Mode supports the same timeline recording as Cinematic Mode:
- Enable Record to Timeline before Start.
- Start timeline playback.
- Fly with the RC transmitter — keyframes are written when input is active.
- Stop — keyframes are baked to the timeline.
Built-in Preset: FPV Drone
The FPV Drone preset includes:
- RC_HID_WIN backend
- KISS rate profile
- Mode 2 mapping (CH1–CH4, CH7 for FOV)
- Transport buttons (Play, Jump to Start, Delete Last Pass)
Use Reset to Defaults to restore FPV Drone settings (when in FPV mode).
Switching Modes
In the main blenderfly panel, use the Mode selector:
- Cinematic — Gamepad (XInput, Sony HID, macOS HID). Smooth camera with acceleration, inertia, auto-level.
- FPV — RC transmitter (TX16S, EdgeTX). Physics-based flight.
When you switch to FPV, the backend changes to RC_HID_WIN (if available). Connect your RC transmitter before clicking Start.
Next Steps
- Mapping — Remap FPV axes and buttons
- Input Monitor — Check RC sticks, sliders, switches
- Compatibility — Platform and controller support