How to make Mk3 parts attach via the correct node?

[BudgetHedgehog]

So I was building a Shuttle yesterday and realised something - the Mk3 cargo bays have two end nodes in the same place, one size 3 (presumably for attaching the cargo bay to other parts) and one size 2 (presumably for the payload) - the comment "// 2nd nodes are for the inside" confirms this. Trouble is, whenever I put the cargo bay on, it attaches via the weaker size 2 node instead of the size 3 node and lets my MP tank and cockpit wobble around like a wet fish in space and in extreme cases, just fall apart when I release the launch tower.

The only way I can see around this is attaching the cargo bay radially (via EditorExtensions), attaching something to the end node (as it defaults to the cargo bay node), attaching the cargo bay inline using the free size 3 node, removing the temporary part and then building the payload. I haven't tried that, but if that doesn't work then I'm out of ideas. How can I make make the cargo bays attach via the size 3 node without a time-consuming and annoying workaround? Am I missing something here? Probably, but I'd love to know what - this is frustrating.

The SP+ parts had a similar issue, but the nodes were in slightly different positions, you could tell if you'd attached it correctly because the fuselage would line up. The Mk3 though, the nodes are in the same place so.. yeah.

(also, I found that the Mk3 parts do have the same lifting body hack that the Mk2 parts use, but it's commented out. Anyone know why?)

[TheMoonRover]

If I've understood you correctly, you could first attach the cargo bay to the part in front, build the payload from the node at the back, then rotate the entire cargo bay so it attaches with the other end (so that the payload is at the front). If you want the payload at the back, just move it to the back again. Either way that's slightly less faffing about. If you don't want your payload inline, you can do the same with a random part, which would be just as good/bad as your method, but without needing a mod. Although judging by your signature, that last bit wouldn't matter to you

My guess: they wrote a test config for the first Mk3 part including the lifting body thing, decided it might not be such a good idea (Mk3 isn't winglike at all, whereas with Mk2 it kind of makes sense), so commented it out in case they changed their minds. They didn't, so its still commented out. They then copied that config and edited it for all the other Mk3 parts. I'm probably totally wrong, but what's wrong with a bit of speculation?

EDIT: Or you could edit the node position in the config file.

Edited January 23, 2015 by TheMoonRover