[1.8.x] Precise Maneuver editor

[eddiew]

52 minutes ago, Morse said:

Nice screenshot. Now, how about some logs? I don't debug based on screenshots, I do it based on logs.

That's fair, I just wanted to offer a demonstration of the problem   I'll see if I can get a log sorted tonight, since it's easily reproducible (on my install).

[eddiew]

All righty @Morse, here is the log of a quick sesh just now. Kept it simple:

1. start KSP
2. switch to a vehicle that was already on the ground
3. go to map mode with M key, select a waypoint
4. exit map mode with M key 
5. bug manifests here, no buttons work. EVA works, but kerbal is uncontrollable.
6. end process to avoid log spam

There's an awful lot of null reference exceptions being thrown by Kerbal Engineer - they've acknowledged this in their thread and will fix it. Removing KER didn't fix this problem, so I think they're unrelated.

Thanks, and good luck  

 

[Morse]

Are you using the latest version of the mod? Looks like not. There was one very specific error caused by KSP API change that I fixed a couple of weeks ago, and your version suffers from it. I see lots of NullPointerExceptions from KER and none from PM. But before I investigate further please update the mods to the latest version. If there is some issue in between KER and PM I need to be sure of the both mods versions.

[meyerweb]

I’d tried and uninstalled this mod months ago (the UI didn’t gel with me), but the new gizmo view makes this an insta-install.  My Mun/Minmus/etc. encounters are going to be so much easier to set up with this.  Thank you!

 

[meyerweb]

A thought: the gizmo window would be even more powerful if you added a modifier key scaling capability.  So if you hold down the `[` key while dragging on a gizmo handle, it changes the orbital parameter at 1/5th the usual speed.  Similarly, holding down the `]` key changes it at 5x usual.  (Or 1/10th / 10x, or some other multipliers.  Whatever is most sane.  Ditto the modifier keys; whatever makes the most sense.  I’d have chosen shift/control if they weren’t already throttle controllers by default.)

[naidis]

Not sure if it's too op but I love the one click circularize button.

[Morse]

On 01.05.2016 at 8:09 PM, meyerweb said:

A thought: the gizmo window would be even more powerful if you added a modifier key scaling capability.

Yep, a gizmo sensitivity slider is in the works right now. I finally understood how to make a KSP-like sliders and I plan to add two: the global UI size slider (you can change the size of the main window in wide range 50-150%) and this. The UI size is already implemented, the other will be soon. I'll wait for some time for this weird stage-locking behavior to maybe manifest to some users, and if all clear, will release the final 2.0 version with these features.

[Kadrush]

what is the difference with precise node?

[Morse]

3 hours ago, Kadrush said:

what is the difference with precise node?

GUI behaves differently. You can look at the "initial release" part of the update history in the OP, most of the key differences is described there.

[Waz]

CKAN entry is borked - it's looking for non-existent:

https://github.com/radistmorse/KSPPreciseManeuver/releases/download/68a26c7/PreciseManeuver.zip

instead of

https://github.com/radistmorse/KSPPreciseManeuver/releases/download/2.0/PreciseManeuver.zip

Kludging the registry.json makes it work.

[Morse]

Yes, I just updated the tag per request of the NETkan maintainers. I guess it'll take some couple of hours before the CKAN database gets updated.

[MisterFister]

I accidentally stumbled across this mod while browsing CKAN.  Long time PreciseNode user here, and yours looks kinda neat, but I'm not really understanding what yours does that the other doesn't?  Or what the other does that yours doesn't, i.e. features implemented on that end since the fork.

I understand that you've locked the text entry keys, which is cool because I ran into that issue too, but... well, sometimes copying burn gimbals from Transfer Window Planner (at least I think that's the mod I get the info from) works better with the 10-key side panel on my keyboard.  I can imagine living without that, but I'm just curious as to the other stuff.

Do the two mods conflict?  If not, I'd care to load them both up to watch them side by side.  I might even make a video comparing them, if you like.

[Morse]

I make them conflict on CKAN to prevent the bug reports, but technically the mods do not conflict. They use the same hotkeys by default, so there will be some weird behavior if you enable them simultaneously, but that's it.

The difference between the mods is in the GUI, but since the mod IS the GUI, that means that pretty much everything is different . I guess you can just look at the GUI and see what the mod provides. The only "hidden" feature is the maneuver select: when you click on the maneuver, PM automatically selects it. Also, lots of hotkeys. You can look at the first post, the "initial release" section of the update history. The key differences are listed there.

As for direct input, the mod has the maneuver saver. You can save your "kerbin-duna" maneuver to the disk and then load it in one click. I do not have much control over input fields. While it is possible to block the input from the keypad, it probably would be complicated, and I just think it's not worth it.

I'm not against the video. It'd be interesting to see the plugins side-by-side from outside. I know I prefer my version because I made it for my taste, but a third-party view might be refreshing.

[LeCosmopilot]

23 hours ago, MisterFister said:

I accidentally stumbled across this mod while browsing CKAN.  Long time PreciseNode user here, and yours looks kinda neat, but I'm not really understanding what yours does that the other doesn't?  Or what the other does that yours doesn't, i.e. features implemented on that end since the fork.

I understand that you've locked the text entry keys, which is cool because I ran into that issue too, but... well, sometimes copying burn gimbals from Transfer Window Planner (at least I think that's the mod I get the info from) works better with the 10-key side panel on my keyboard.  I can imagine living without that, but I'm just curious as to the other stuff.

Do the two mods conflict?  If not, I'd care to load them both up to watch them side by side.  I might even make a video comparing them, if you like.

Manuever gizmo is the only rhing why i use there mod.

[Clubbavich]

This seems like a stock KSP problem, but it's an issue with maneuver nodes and I have this addon installed, so I thought I'd check here first...

I'm trying to do my first interplanetary transfer, and I have a maneuver burn in about 8 days from a 100km orbit around Kerbin. I have another node in about 100 days for a plane change and final adjustment. But I'm having problems... the required delta-v keeps changing. If I add and remove 1m/s delta-v from either node--net 0 change--my predicted orbits change, and they change every time I make any change. It's really frustrating. Should I be waiting until my second burn to finalize adjustments?

Is that a stock bug?

Edit:

Nevermind. Stock maneuver nodes are still a buggy mess. I'm finding something else to spend my time on.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Clubbavich

[Morse]

@Clubbavich, yes, it's KSP problem. Or rather, limitation. First, if your craft is in a 100km orbit around Kerbin, that means that one period is about an hour. KSP only calculates the orbit for one period in advance. Placing a node more then that in the future will definitely screw things up one way or another.

Second, the precision issues. I don't know where KSP uses single precision, and where double, but what's for sure, is that it's not enough in the interplanetary scale. The difference even in 0.01 in deltaV can be enormous in interplanetary scale, and the error of calculations seems to be comparable to this. This is one of the reasons why PM doesn't allow for the finer adjustments, it's just pointless.

So for your initial maneuver just getting into the SoI of the target planet is ok. Everything else should be done mid-course.

[Clubbavich]

Thanks Morse, I figured it was a stock bug. I tried to create my first maneuver node to just barely get me out of Kerbin's SOI, so I could create a second from Kerbol's SOI, but as soon as I created a node that took place after leaving Kerbin's SOI, I wasn't able to see my trajectory or second maneuver node. It just disappears.

Since this is a stock KSP issue, this thread probably isn't the place to discuss it. If I need more advice, I'll go to a different thread for it. Thanks again for the advice.

[Morse]

7 hours ago, Clubbavich said:

but as soon as I created a node that took place after leaving Kerbin's SOI, I wasn't able to see my trajectory or second maneuver node. It just disappears.

You may want to try to add more trajectories in the patches control. The default number is kinda low.

[Waz]

I'm really missing the +/- orbit buttons.

It's horrible going back to the stock gizmo to right click and try to click the tiny buttons there, plus only being able to go 1 orbit at a time (though Precise Node only ever did 1 too AFAIK).

I noticed in earlier comments you said you didn't find this feature very useful, but it's very important when trying to get efficient intercepts to planets or rendezvous - you move back and forth by 1 orbit to find the best time to do the minimal burn for a fixed ejection angle. My standard way to get a rendezvous is to make a node just ahead of the intercept, then go forward one orbit at a time and watch the target distance change; when it's close enough, make a tiny burn to bring it into perfect alignment.

I slightly miss the total delta-V number too, but having to point at the stock gizmo to see it isn't that big of a deal... I just have such an allergic reaction to those little 6-legged bugs that doing anything with them annoys me...

Regardless, I'm sticking with Precise Maneuver over Precise Node as development seems more "alive" and I like some of the additions.

[Morse]

16 hours ago, Waz said:

I'm really missing the +/- orbit buttons.

Well, actually, they are there. Under the "patches control" section, hard to miss. Moreover, you can set hotkeys for these if you like. As for the total delta-V, you can actually see it near the navball. That's why I removed it: it's already there.

[Waz]

1 hour ago, Morse said:

Well, actually, they are there. Under the "patches control" section, hard to miss. Moreover, you can set hotkeys for these if you like. As for the total delta-V, you can actually see it near the navball. That's why I removed it: it's already there.

Those are the patch counts. I mean buttons to move the node forward/backward one orbit.

The one near navball only shows Node1's total. You have to mouse over the other nodes to see their totals, which is a pain when they're cluttered.

[Morse]

48 minutes ago, Waz said:

I mean buttons to move the node forward/backward one orbit.

Hm, never even knew there was such a feature previously. Is it really needed? KSP is very unstable when dealing with the nodes that are more than one period ahead.

The total dV may return in future. Right now the window is packed, but I plan to add some kind of integration with "transfer window planner" anyways, so some overhaul is likely.

[Waz]

22 hours ago, Morse said:

Hm, never even knew there was such a feature previously. Is it really needed? KSP is very unstable when dealing with the nodes that are more than one period ahead.

The tiny +/- buttons were added around ksp 0.24, iirc. I've never seen any problems - even adding a few dozen orbits seems stable, at least when on rails. Maybe it would  become apparent once people could easily add 10x100x orbits though.

[Gordon Dry]

I found something.

I choose a node, click on Focus.

But then? I can't set the focus back on my vessel...

[Gordon Dry]

btw how can I combine two maneuvers?

As I already got a secure periapsis and want to circularize and afterwards change inclination, why not both in one burn?

The 1st says for example 360 m/s prograde and the 2nd says 80 m/s retrograde ...

I'm not the mathematician to fiddle this out by myself.

 

Edit:

I hope it works like that, I just created these two maneuver nodes and then subtracted the (negative) values of the second node from the values of the first node and deleted the second node then.

The trajectory drawn looks good so far.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Gordon Dry