diff --git a/components/resource/bulletshapemanager.cpp b/components/resource/bulletshapemanager.cpp
index f817d6b89a..b37e81111d 100644
--- a/components/resource/bulletshapemanager.cpp
+++ b/components/resource/bulletshapemanager.cpp
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ namespace Resource
 
     osg::ref_ptr<const BulletShape> BulletShapeManager::getShape(const std::string& name)
     {
-        const std::string normalized = VFS::Path::normalizeFilename(name);
+        const VFS::Path::Normalized normalized(name);
 
         osg::ref_ptr<BulletShape> shape;
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Object> obj = mCache->getRefFromObjectCache(normalized);
diff --git a/components/resource/niffilemanager.cpp b/components/resource/niffilemanager.cpp
index 352d367f9b..0cc48d4247 100644
--- a/components/resource/niffilemanager.cpp
+++ b/components/resource/niffilemanager.cpp
@@ -41,14 +41,14 @@ namespace Resource
 
     NifFileManager::~NifFileManager() = default;
 
-    Nif::NIFFilePtr NifFileManager::get(const std::string& name)
+    Nif::NIFFilePtr NifFileManager::get(VFS::Path::NormalizedView name)
     {
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Object> obj = mCache->getRefFromObjectCache(name);
         if (obj)
             return static_cast<NifFileHolder*>(obj.get())->mNifFile;
         else
         {
-            auto file = std::make_shared<Nif::NIFFile>(name);
+            auto file = std::make_shared<Nif::NIFFile>(name.value());
             Nif::Reader reader(*file, mEncoder);
             reader.parse(mVFS->get(name));
             obj = new NifFileHolder(file);
diff --git a/components/resource/niffilemanager.hpp b/components/resource/niffilemanager.hpp
index dab4b70748..a5395fef7e 100644
--- a/components/resource/niffilemanager.hpp
+++ b/components/resource/niffilemanager.hpp
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ namespace Resource
         /// Retrieve a NIF file from the cache, or load it from the VFS if not cached yet.
         /// @note For performance reasons the NifFileManager does not handle case folding, needs
         /// to be done in advance by other managers accessing the NifFileManager.
-        Nif::NIFFilePtr get(const std::string& name);
+        Nif::NIFFilePtr get(VFS::Path::NormalizedView name);
 
         void reportStats(unsigned int frameNumber, osg::Stats* stats) const override;
     };
diff --git a/components/resource/scenemanager.cpp b/components/resource/scenemanager.cpp
index 26d719a106..9ed72d5f05 100644
--- a/components/resource/scenemanager.cpp
+++ b/components/resource/scenemanager.cpp
@@ -545,9 +545,9 @@ namespace Resource
     namespace
     {
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> loadNonNif(
-            const std::string& normalizedFilename, std::istream& model, Resource::ImageManager* imageManager)
+            VFS::Path::NormalizedView normalizedFilename, std::istream& model, Resource::ImageManager* imageManager)
         {
-            auto ext = Misc::getFileExtension(normalizedFilename);
+            const std::string_view ext = Misc::getFileExtension(normalizedFilename.value());
             osgDB::ReaderWriter* reader = osgDB::Registry::instance()->getReaderWriterForExtension(std::string(ext));
             if (!reader)
             {
@@ -566,7 +566,7 @@ namespace Resource
             if (ext == "dae")
                 options->setOptionString("daeUseSequencedTextureUnits");
 
-            const std::array<std::uint64_t, 2> fileHash = Files::getHash(normalizedFilename, model);
+            const std::array<std::uint64_t, 2> fileHash = Files::getHash(normalizedFilename.value(), model);
 
             osgDB::ReaderWriter::ReadResult result = reader->readNode(model, options);
             if (!result.success())
@@ -721,10 +721,10 @@ namespace Resource
         }
     }
 
-    osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> load(const std::string& normalizedFilename, const VFS::Manager* vfs,
+    osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> load(VFS::Path::NormalizedView normalizedFilename, const VFS::Manager* vfs,
         Resource::ImageManager* imageManager, Resource::NifFileManager* nifFileManager)
     {
-        auto ext = Misc::getFileExtension(normalizedFilename);
+        const std::string_view ext = Misc::getFileExtension(normalizedFilename.value());
         if (ext == "nif")
             return NifOsg::Loader::load(*nifFileManager->get(normalizedFilename), imageManager);
         else if (ext == "spt")
@@ -843,11 +843,12 @@ namespace Resource
     {
         try
         {
+            VFS::Path::Normalized path("meshes/marker_error.****");
             for (const auto meshType : { "nif", "osg", "osgt", "osgb", "osgx", "osg2", "dae" })
             {
-                const std::string normalized = "meshes/marker_error." + std::string(meshType);
-                if (mVFS->exists(normalized))
-                    return load(normalized, mVFS, mImageManager, mNifFileManager);
+                path.changeExtension(meshType);
+                if (mVFS->exists(path))
+                    return load(path, mVFS, mImageManager, mNifFileManager);
             }
         }
         catch (const std::exception& e)
@@ -869,7 +870,7 @@ namespace Resource
 
     osg::ref_ptr<const osg::Node> SceneManager::getTemplate(std::string_view name, bool compile)
     {
-        std::string normalized = VFS::Path::normalizeFilename(name);
+        const VFS::Path::Normalized normalized(name);
 
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Object> obj = mCache->getRefFromObjectCache(normalized);
         if (obj)
diff --git a/components/vfs/manager.cpp b/components/vfs/manager.cpp
index ef5dd495c9..936dd64679 100644
--- a/components/vfs/manager.cpp
+++ b/components/vfs/manager.cpp
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ namespace VFS
         return getNormalized(name);
     }
 
+    Files::IStreamPtr Manager::get(Path::NormalizedView name) const
+    {
+        return getNormalized(name.value());
+    }
+
     Files::IStreamPtr Manager::getNormalized(std::string_view normalizedName) const
     {
         assert(Path::isNormalized(normalizedName));
diff --git a/components/vfs/manager.hpp b/components/vfs/manager.hpp
index 955538627f..59211602de 100644
--- a/components/vfs/manager.hpp
+++ b/components/vfs/manager.hpp
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ namespace VFS
         /// @note May be called from any thread once the index has been built.
         Files::IStreamPtr get(const Path::Normalized& name) const;
 
+        Files::IStreamPtr get(Path::NormalizedView name) const;
+
         /// Retrieve a file by name (name is already normalized).
         /// @note Throws an exception if the file can not be found.
         /// @note May be called from any thread once the index has been built.