Hi Sönke,

Re:
> it would be nice to have a variation on the orbit mechanics that rotates
> around the first point of contact below the mouse cursor.

That exists now with the Area widget:


The first step in Area is picking a 3D point. That becomes the new pivot point for orbiting.

Another way set the pivot point is with Reset. The new pivot point is the center of the selection that exists when Reset is clicked.

- Peer