maneuver node: advance-orbit-button troubles

[Glurth]

There are time I want to advance a maneuver node's burn time many orbits into the future. But I'm have two crazy problems with the UI.

1) Every other time I click the button, the maneuver node "closes" forcing me to re-select it, then right click it to get back to the advance-orbit-button.

2) I also get a ton of popup's to select various targets, as though I were clicking on them or empty space, as opposed to a button. These popups appear over the manuver node controls, and often gets clicked accidentally. My workaround for this, which wont always help, is to orient my view such that a small section of the button remains visible behind any other popups (but this doesn't always work).

I'd like to be able to click the advance-orbit-button a few dozen times in a row, without pulling my hair out. Does anyone have a way to work around this UI oddness? Also looking for any suggestions on how to advance a maneuver node a huge number of orbits, like in the hundreds, without clicking hundred of times.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Glurth

[Padishar]

Yes, I think the stock manoeuvre node UI annoys lots of people lots of the time...

The usual workaround for this would be to install either PreciseNode or MechJeb, both of which can give you much better control over nodes...

[Glurth]

The usual workaround for this would be to install either PreciseNode or MechJeb, both of which can give you much better control over nodes...

Thanks for the reply Padishar. I do have mech-jeb, and I see how I can use it's maneuver node editor to "shift TIME": So, to advance a number of ORBITS, I need to look at the time difference between my next apoapsis and peripapsis, double it, then punch that into the Mech Jeb maneuver node editor. But even that (painful) way it's never quite precise, which ends up messing up my angles. Is there a better way? I'll take a look at Precise Node now.

[Red Iron Crown]

Be aware that PreciseNode doesn't show the +/- orbit buttons by default, you have to turn them on in the options.

[Captain H@dock]

2) I also get a ton of popup's to select various targets, as though I were clicking on them or empty space, as opposed to a button. These popups appear over the manuver node controls, and often gets clicked accidentally. My workaround for this, which wont always help, is to orient my view such that a small section of the button remains visible behind any other popups (but this doesn't always work).

I've recently found that moving the mouse away for a couple a seconds will make the pop-up close, but not the maneuver node.

Also, a fix to 3) Dragging a maneuver node 'resets' any advancement to future orbits is to place a dummy maneuver node where you want to work at (N orbits later), with 0 dV, then create a second one which will be the maneuver you want to work with. Since this one is automatically added after the previous one, it is already N orbit in the future, and you can drag it.

Oh, the things we have to do to use that irritating maneuver node IU...

[Glurth]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I ended up downloading and installing PreciseNode as suggested, and found exactly the option I wanted in there.