diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.cpp
index 0a1d5eb09..5300d6ab4 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwrender/animation.cpp
@@ -192,24 +192,38 @@ namespace
     };
 
     // Removes all drawables from a graph.
-    class RemoveDrawableVisitor : public RemoveVisitor
+    class CleanObjectRootVisitor : public RemoveVisitor
     {
     public:
         virtual void apply(osg::Drawable& drw)
         {
-            applyImpl(drw);
+            applyDrawable(drw);
         }
 
         virtual void apply(osg::Group& node)
         {
-            traverse(node);
+            applyNode(node);
         }
         virtual void apply(osg::MatrixTransform& node)
         {
-            traverse(node);
+            applyNode(node);
+        }
+        virtual void apply(osg::Node& node)
+        {
+            applyNode(node);
         }
 
-        void applyImpl(osg::Node& node)
+        void applyNode(osg::Node& node)
+        {
+            if (node.getStateSet())
+                node.setStateSet(NULL);
+
+            if (node.getNodeMask() == 0x1 && node.getNumParents() == 1)
+                mToRemove.push_back(std::make_pair(&node, node.getParent(0)));
+            else
+                traverse(node);
+        }
+        void applyDrawable(osg::Node& node)
         {
             osg::NodePath::iterator parent = getNodePath().end()-2;
             // We know that the parent is a Group because only Groups can have children.
@@ -1123,6 +1137,32 @@ namespace MWRender
             state->second.mLoopingEnabled = enabled;
     }
 
+    osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> getModelInstance(Resource::SceneManager* sceneMgr, const std::string& model, bool baseonly)
+    {
+        if (baseonly)
+        {
+            typedef std::map<std::string, osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> > Cache;
+            static Cache cache;
+            Cache::iterator found = cache.find(model);
+            if (found == cache.end())
+            {
+                osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> created = sceneMgr->getInstance(model);
+
+                CleanObjectRootVisitor removeDrawableVisitor;
+                created->accept(removeDrawableVisitor);
+                removeDrawableVisitor.remove();
+
+                cache.insert(std::make_pair(model, created));
+
+                return sceneMgr->createInstance(created);
+            }
+            else
+                return sceneMgr->createInstance(found->second);
+        }
+        else
+            return sceneMgr->createInstance(model);
+    }
+
     void Animation::setObjectRoot(const std::string &model, bool forceskeleton, bool baseonly, bool isCreature)
     {
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::StateSet> previousStateset;
@@ -1144,7 +1184,8 @@ namespace MWRender
 
         if (!forceskeleton)
         {
-            osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> created = mResourceSystem->getSceneManager()->getInstance(model, mInsert);
+            osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> created = getModelInstance(mResourceSystem->getSceneManager(), model, baseonly);
+            mInsert->addChild(created);
             mObjectRoot = created->asGroup();
             if (!mObjectRoot)
             {
@@ -1156,7 +1197,7 @@ namespace MWRender
         }
         else
         {
-            osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> created = mResourceSystem->getSceneManager()->getInstance(model);
+            osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> created = getModelInstance(mResourceSystem->getSceneManager(), model, baseonly);
             osg::ref_ptr<SceneUtil::Skeleton> skel = dynamic_cast<SceneUtil::Skeleton*>(created.get());
             if (!skel)
             {
@@ -1171,13 +1212,6 @@ namespace MWRender
         if (previousStateset)
             mObjectRoot->setStateSet(previousStateset);
 
-        if (baseonly)
-        {
-            RemoveDrawableVisitor removeDrawableVisitor;
-            mObjectRoot->accept(removeDrawableVisitor);
-            removeDrawableVisitor.remove();
-        }
-
         if (isCreature)
         {
             RemoveTriBipVisitor removeTriBipVisitor;
diff --git a/components/resource/scenemanager.cpp b/components/resource/scenemanager.cpp
index b7dda6276..d050d5448 100644
--- a/components/resource/scenemanager.cpp
+++ b/components/resource/scenemanager.cpp
@@ -538,10 +538,15 @@ namespace Resource
     osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> SceneManager::createInstance(const std::string& name)
     {
         osg::ref_ptr<const osg::Node> scene = getTemplate(name);
-        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> cloned = osg::clone(scene.get(), SceneUtil::CopyOp());
+        return createInstance(scene);
+    }
+
+    osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> SceneManager::createInstance(const osg::Node *base)
+    {
+        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> cloned = osg::clone(base, SceneUtil::CopyOp());
 
         // add a ref to the original template, to hint to the cache that it's still being used and should be kept in cache
-        cloned->getOrCreateUserDataContainer()->addUserObject(new TemplateRef(scene));
+        cloned->getOrCreateUserDataContainer()->addUserObject(new TemplateRef(base));
 
         // we can skip any scene graphs without update callbacks since we know that particle emitters will have an update callback set
         if (cloned->getNumChildrenRequiringUpdateTraversal() > 0)
diff --git a/components/resource/scenemanager.hpp b/components/resource/scenemanager.hpp
index 62ffe0871..fdd1d6583 100644
--- a/components/resource/scenemanager.hpp
+++ b/components/resource/scenemanager.hpp
@@ -93,6 +93,10 @@ namespace Resource
         /// @note Thread safe.
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> cacheInstance(const std::string& name);
 
+        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> createInstance(const std::string& name);
+
+        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> createInstance(const osg::Node* base);
+
         /// Get an instance of the given scene template
         /// @see getTemplate
         /// @note Thread safe.
@@ -141,8 +145,6 @@ namespace Resource
 
     private:
 
-        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> createInstance(const std::string& name);
-
         std::auto_ptr<Shader::ShaderManager> mShaderManager;
         bool mForceShaders;
         bool mClampLighting;
diff --git a/components/shader/shadervisitor.cpp b/components/shader/shadervisitor.cpp
index 33fd9186f..b68d419a3 100644
--- a/components/shader/shadervisitor.cpp
+++ b/components/shader/shadervisitor.cpp
@@ -317,34 +317,43 @@ namespace Shader
         {
             const ShaderRequirements& reqs = mRequirements.back();
 
-            osg::ref_ptr<osg::Geometry> sourceGeometry = &geometry;
-            SceneUtil::RigGeometry* rig = dynamic_cast<SceneUtil::RigGeometry*>(&geometry);
-            if (rig)
-                sourceGeometry = rig->getSourceGeometry();
+            bool useShader = reqs.mShaderRequired || mForceShaders;
+            bool generateTangents = reqs.mTexStageRequiringTangents != -1;
 
-            if (mAllowedToModifyStateSets)
+            if (mAllowedToModifyStateSets && (useShader || generateTangents))
             {
+                osg::ref_ptr<osg::Geometry> sourceGeometry = &geometry;
+                SceneUtil::RigGeometry* rig = dynamic_cast<SceneUtil::RigGeometry*>(&geometry);
+                if (rig)
+                    sourceGeometry = rig->getSourceGeometry();
+
+                bool requiresSetGeometry = false;
+
                 // make sure that all UV sets are there
                 for (std::map<int, std::string>::const_iterator it = reqs.mTextures.begin(); it != reqs.mTextures.end(); ++it)
                 {
                     if (sourceGeometry->getTexCoordArray(it->first) == NULL)
+                    {
                         sourceGeometry->setTexCoordArray(it->first, sourceGeometry->getTexCoordArray(0));
+                        requiresSetGeometry = true;
+                    }
                 }
+
+                if (generateTangents)
+                {
+                    osg::ref_ptr<osgUtil::TangentSpaceGenerator> generator (new osgUtil::TangentSpaceGenerator);
+                    generator->generate(sourceGeometry, reqs.mTexStageRequiringTangents);
+
+                    sourceGeometry->setTexCoordArray(7, generator->getTangentArray(), osg::Array::BIND_PER_VERTEX);
+                    requiresSetGeometry = true;
+                }
+
+                if (rig && requiresSetGeometry)
+                    rig->setSourceGeometry(sourceGeometry);
             }
 
-            if (reqs.mTexStageRequiringTangents != -1 && mAllowedToModifyStateSets)
-            {
-                osg::ref_ptr<osgUtil::TangentSpaceGenerator> generator (new osgUtil::TangentSpaceGenerator);
-                generator->generate(sourceGeometry, reqs.mTexStageRequiringTangents);
-
-                sourceGeometry->setTexCoordArray(7, generator->getTangentArray(), osg::Array::BIND_PER_VERTEX);
-            }
-
-            if (rig)
-                rig->setSourceGeometry(sourceGeometry);
-
             // TODO: find a better place for the stateset
-            if (reqs.mShaderRequired || mForceShaders)
+            if (useShader)
                 createProgram(reqs, geometry);
         }