Camera's center of focus on space stations

[Clockwork13]

Is there any way to change the camera's center of focus on stations? Currently being fixed on its center of mass is extremely annoying on larger stations.

[linuxgurugamer]

Camera focus changer

It's a mod which changes the focus to whatever part you want

[Geonovast]

If you have advanced tweakables on, you can right click on any part and click "Aim Camera".  I don't believe it persists, however.

[Snark]

Also, if you happen to own a 3D mouse, the game supports that and you can fly the camera around with full 3D freedom.

Assuming you don't own one, though: you can either use the stock "aim camera here" feature,  or use a mod, as mentioned above.

[putnamto]

1 hour ago, Snark said:

Also, if you happen to own a 3D mouse, the game supports that and you can fly the camera around with full 3D freedom.

Assuming you don't own one, though: you can either use the stock "aim camera here" feature,  or use a mod, as mentioned above.

3d mouse? Explain  yourself

[FleshJeb]

In addition to the other solutions here, there's middle-click and drag.

[Snark]

16 minutes ago, putnamto said:

3d mouse? Explain  yourself

It's a thing.  Details in spoiler since this is getting a bit off topic from the OP's question.

Spoiler

^ That's just one manufacturer, there are others.  Basically, a 3D mouse is a device that's designed to help navigate around in 3D space.  It's especially handy for 3D modelers / designers (i.e. for navigating through a modeled scene), but various other programs support it too (Google Earth, for one example.  KSP, for another).

The typical design is a base that's designed to be immobile (it's heavy and has a high-friction rubber pad on the underside), with a spring-loaded knob on top.  The mounting hardware on the knob is equipped with sensors that can detect six degrees of freedom (a.k.a. 6DOF) of motion:  translation on the X, Y, Z axes, or rotation about those axes.  This is then tied to driver software on the computer which can inform programs that are written to accept 6DOF input.

The result is a control that provides a very fluid, easy, human-intuitive way of navigating around in 3D space.  Push the knob forward, you move forward.  Shove it left or right, you move left or right.  Ditto pulling it up or pushing it down.  Ditto twisting it-- i.e. if you pitch, yaw, or roll the knob, then the camera rotates accordingly.

KSP happens to have support for 6DOF controllers built in.  My observation is that that's actually kind of unusual for most programs that aren't explicitly about 3D navigation-- usually the only software I see that enables this type of controller are things like 3D modeling programs, or 3D browsers like Google Earth.  KSP has supported it since forever, though-- I assume that HarvesteR or someone must have owned one and wanted to use it. 

FWIW, I think in KSP it's pretty much just a gimmick.  I happen to own a 3D mouse myself-- I got it because I wanted to use it with Blender for working on 3D models.  And now that I own it, it's da bomb for flying around in Google Earth.   But I find that I almost never use it in KSP, even though it's sitting right there-- mainly because in KSP I normally never have any reason to want to move the camera around with that much freedom.  The default mouse camera controls are fine for me.

 

[putnamto]

1 hour ago, Snark said:

It's a thing.  Details in spoiler since this is getting a bit off topic from the OP's question.

  Hide contents

^ That's just one manufacturer, there are others.  Basically, a 3D mouse is a device that's designed to help navigate around in 3D space.  It's especially handy for 3D modelers / designers (i.e. for navigating through a modeled scene), but various other programs support it too (Google Earth, for one example.  KSP, for another).

The typical design is a base that's designed to be immobile (it's heavy and has a high-friction rubber pad on the underside), with a spring-loaded knob on top.  The mounting hardware on the knob is equipped with sensors that can detect six degrees of freedom (a.k.a. 6DOF) of motion:  translation on the X, Y, Z axes, or rotation about those axes.  This is then tied to driver software on the computer which can inform programs that are written to accept 6DOF input.

The result is a control that provides a very fluid, easy, human-intuitive way of navigating around in 3D space.  Push the knob forward, you move forward.  Shove it left or right, you move left or right.  Ditto pulling it up or pushing it down.  Ditto twisting it-- i.e. if you pitch, yaw, or roll the knob, then the camera rotates accordingly.

KSP happens to have support for 6DOF controllers built in.  My observation is that that's actually kind of unusual for most programs that aren't explicitly about 3D navigation-- usually the only software I see that enables this type of controller are things like 3D modeling programs, or 3D browsers like Google Earth.  KSP has supported it since forever, though-- I assume that HarvesteR or someone must have owned one and wanted to use it. 

FWIW, I think in KSP it's pretty much just a gimmick.  I happen to own a 3D mouse myself-- I got it because I wanted to use it with Blender for working on 3D models.  And now that I own it, it's da bomb for flying around in Google Earth.   But I find that I almost never use it in KSP, even though it's sitting right there-- mainly because in KSP I normally never have any reason to want to move the camera around with that much freedom.  The default mouse camera controls are fine for me.

 

thank you sir

[Tonka Crash]

...you're able to focus the view on any part of any vessel with a simple mouse click (with O hold, it's configurable)...

[Gargamel]

6 hours ago, Snark said:

Also, if you happen to own a 3D mouse, the game supports that and you can fly the camera around with full 3D freedom

Really?   I've never tried my space navigator (the one you pictured) with KSP...  Took me long enough to get used to it in CADs, guess I'll to give myself vertigo in KSP now...  Thanks for the tip sir. 

[Snark]

2 minutes ago, Gargamel said:

Really?   I've never tried my space navigator (the one you pictured) with KSP...  Took me long enough to get used to it in CADs, guess I'll to give myself vertigo in KSP now...  Thanks for the tip sir. 

Places where you can use it :

- In the VAB (handy for zooming way in)

- In flight, to control the camera

- In KSC view, freely flying around (useless but kinda cute)

- In flight, as an actual flight control (potentially handy for docking with RCS, though personally I find the keyboard better)

[Gargamel]

Just now, Snark said:

- In the VAB (handy for zooming way in)

Oh, I think I did try this years ago... my camera just ended up in the corner sobbing I think....

1 minute ago, Snark said:

- In flight, as an actual flight control (potentially handy for docking with RCS, though personally I find the keyboard better)

With some practice, I think this could be very useful, but unnecessary as the keyboard prevents the unwanted inputs that the space mouse would sometimes induce. 

[Duck McFuddle]

You can have a few probe cores at different parts of the station, then "Control from here" on them so the camera points at them. You could also get a mod, there are a few for this purpose.