[Feature Request] Centered single node for the thrust/engine plate

[bigyihsuan]

I love the thrust plate. It lets me put on multiple engines onto a tank, and a custom interstage, without resorting to jank.

However, I do have to deal with some jank when wanting a custom interstage with a single engine. This situation usually comes about when I want to use an engine with custom engine mount, but 2 engines is too powerful. To do this, I need to:

1. Set the node count to 1 only.
2. Place the interstage, overlength, onto the center node.
3. Place the engine, then translate with snapping on so it lines up in the center of the stack.
4. Shrink the interstage so that it properly fits.

Having to translate the single engine every single time because the minimum offset allowed (by default) is off-center from the stack center.

It would be great if we could set the offset to 0 to allow for this.

[DRVeyl]

I'm confused. The point of the thrust plate is multiple connection points. Dropping it to 1 makes it exactly a pass-through to the part above.

The typical way to do what you describe, I believe, is tank -> engine -> interstage base with extra-height setting to cover the engine. You get your custom interstage, it has a single attachment point below, the engine is attached in the center to the tank above.

(Assuming the multi-engine variation on this must be tank -> inverted interstage -> thrust plate + engines, and the rest of the rocket attached to the floating interstage node. You could also do this without the thrust plate and attaching the single engine directly to the "top" vice the floating node on the interstage base.)

[bigyihsuan]

Dropping it to 1 makes it exactly a pass-through to the part above.

And that's what I use the single node for, as a pass-through that's not a plain tank butt for engines that don't have engine shrouds and no dedicated/compatible engine mounts.

This is what I want:

flowchart TD;
TT[top tank];
TP[thrust plate];
ENG[engine];
INT[interstage base];
LOW[lower stages];

TT --> TP;
TP --pass-through node--> ENG;
TP --center node--> INT --> LOW;

Loading

The multi-engine variation is

flowchart TD;
TT[top tank];
TP[thrust plate];
ENG[engines];
INT[interstage base];
LOW[lower stages];

TT --> TP;
TP --side nodes--> ENG;
TP --center node--> INT --> LOW;

Loading

[DRVeyl]

Attach the engine to the bottom of the tank.
Attach the interstage base to the bottom of the engine bell.
Use the "extra height" setting to push the interstage [fairing sides] up above the engine and to the tank.

[bigyihsuan]

Attach the engine to the bottom of the tank. Attach the interstage base to the bottom of the engine bell. Use the "extra height" setting to push the interstage [fairing sides] up above the engine and to the tank.

Attaching the base to the engine bell using the top node, or the node on the base?

Either way, it doesn't look good (in my eyes), and it doesn't solve the original problem that you can't have the single node on the thrust plate be centered on the thrust plate.

A part that has an additional, "invisible" pass-through node is more useful than you may think, since it lets you attach more than 1 part via a node at a time.