Interplanetary Maneuvre Node Kerfuffles

[VelocityPolaris]

After watching a great deal of youtube, and trying out interplanetary travel myself, I've noticed that there seems to be an important feature that I'm missing out on. Scott Manley, Macey Dean, Matt Lowne all seem to have done this, so odds are it's a stock feature, but all of my scrounging around for it has been unsuccessful. When setting up a maneuvre node, they seem to be able to focus the camera on the celestial body that they're going to, and any adjustments they make will show the maneuvre's orbital path in relation to the planet. Like this screenshot shamelessly pilfered from a Matt Lowne video.

I've never been able to do this when setting up a maneuvre, I can't seem to focus the camera around where the planet is going to be. How does one do this?

[HebaruSan]

The Tab key switches focus while in the map view.

[Superfluous J]

You can also click the planet and select to focus on it.

[Kryxal]

And the tab key leaves the maneuver node open while you do it, makes life easier.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Kryxal

[Snark]

On 2/24/2018 at 12:38 PM, VelocityPolaris said:

I've never been able to do this when setting up a maneuvre, I can't seem to focus the camera around where the planet is going to be. How does one do this?

In the map view, click on the planet and then choose "Set Focus" in the little dialog that pops up.

When you're done and want to focus back on your ship, there's a keypress for that-- depending on your keyboard layout and how long you've had KSP installed, it may be the backspace key, or it might be the back-tick key (i.e. the key with ~ on it that's to the left of the 1 key on US keyboard layouts).

Note that a very handy thing you can do is to plop down a maneuver node in interplanetary space, then (before adjusting the node) switching focus to the target planet, then rotating the camera around until you can see the maneuver node out there in space, and then adjusting the node by dragging on its handles.  This lets you fine-tune exactly where your path will take you when you arrive at the destination.

[VelocityPolaris]

Thanks so much, guys! I know I'm about as tech-savvy as your average grandma, but I tried it and it worked, so hoorah!

[Gargamel]

Just two comments to add to this:

1) Having accidentally rediscovered the tab key again, I had to rediscover the "~" key resets the map view.  That was annoying.

2) Kerfluffle must be the most unintentionally appropriate 'kerbalish' word ever.  You don't even have to change the spelling, it's naturally Kerbalized.