diff --git a/components/sceneutil/riggeometry.cpp b/components/sceneutil/riggeometry.cpp
index 410ab5300..edbb6371e 100644
--- a/components/sceneutil/riggeometry.cpp
+++ b/components/sceneutil/riggeometry.cpp
@@ -82,12 +82,14 @@ RigGeometry::RigGeometry(const RigGeometry &copy, const osg::CopyOp &copyop)
     , mLastFrameNumber(0)
     , mBoundsFirstFrame(true)
 {
-    setSourceGeometry(copy.mSourceGeometry);
+    mSourceVertices = copy.mSourceVertices;
+    mSourceNormals = copy.mSourceNormals;
 }
 
 void RigGeometry::setSourceGeometry(osg::ref_ptr<osg::Geometry> sourceGeometry)
 {
-    mSourceGeometry = sourceGeometry;
+    mSourceVertices = static_cast<osg::Vec3Array*>(sourceGeometry->getVertexArray());
+    mSourceNormals = static_cast<osg::Vec3Array*>(sourceGeometry->getNormalArray());
 
     osg::Geometry& from = *sourceGeometry;
 
@@ -223,8 +225,8 @@ void RigGeometry::update(osg::NodeVisitor* nv)
     mSkeleton->updateBoneMatrices(nv);
 
     // skinning
-    osg::Vec3Array* positionSrc = static_cast<osg::Vec3Array*>(mSourceGeometry->getVertexArray());
-    osg::Vec3Array* normalSrc = static_cast<osg::Vec3Array*>(mSourceGeometry->getNormalArray());
+    osg::Vec3Array* positionSrc = mSourceVertices;
+    osg::Vec3Array* normalSrc = mSourceNormals;
 
     osg::Vec3Array* positionDst = static_cast<osg::Vec3Array*>(getVertexArray());
     osg::Vec3Array* normalDst = static_cast<osg::Vec3Array*>(getNormalArray());
diff --git a/components/sceneutil/riggeometry.hpp b/components/sceneutil/riggeometry.hpp
index 90d4c1156..fb4b914a0 100644
--- a/components/sceneutil/riggeometry.hpp
+++ b/components/sceneutil/riggeometry.hpp
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ namespace SceneUtil
 
         /// Initialize this geometry from the source geometry.
         /// @note The source geometry will not be modified.
+        /// @note The source geometry's normal and vertex arrays must be an osg::Vec3Array.
         void setSourceGeometry(osg::ref_ptr<osg::Geometry> sourceGeom);
 
         // Called automatically by our CullCallback
@@ -50,7 +51,8 @@ namespace SceneUtil
         void updateBounds(osg::NodeVisitor* nv);
 
     private:
-        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Geometry> mSourceGeometry;
+        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Vec3Array> mSourceVertices;
+        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Vec3Array> mSourceNormals;
         Skeleton* mSkeleton;
 
         osg::NodePath mSkelToGeomPath;