diff --git a/components/nifosg/nifloader.cpp b/components/nifosg/nifloader.cpp
index bba1d8c288..72654da6de 100644
--- a/components/nifosg/nifloader.cpp
+++ b/components/nifosg/nifloader.cpp
@@ -170,6 +170,17 @@ namespace NifOsg
     class CollisionSwitch : public osg::MatrixTransform
     {
     public:
+        CollisionSwitch() : osg::MatrixTransform()
+        {
+        }
+
+        CollisionSwitch(const CollisionSwitch& copy, const osg::CopyOp& copyop)
+            : osg::MatrixTransform(copy, copyop)
+        {
+        }
+
+        META_Node(NifOsg, CollisionSwitch)
+
         CollisionSwitch(const osg::Matrixf& transformations, bool enabled) : osg::MatrixTransform(transformations)
         {
             setEnabled(enabled);
@@ -478,17 +489,8 @@ namespace NifOsg
             osg::ref_ptr<osg::Group> node;
             osg::Object::DataVariance dataVariance = osg::Object::UNSPECIFIED;
 
-            // TODO: it is unclear how to handle transformations of LOD nodes and controllers for them.
             switch (nifNode->recType)
             {
-            case Nif::RC_NiLODNode:
-            {
-                const Nif::NiLODNode* niLodNode = static_cast<const Nif::NiLODNode*>(nifNode);
-                node = handleLodNode(niLodNode);
-                dataVariance = osg::Object::DYNAMIC;
-                break;
-            }
-            case Nif::RC_NiSwitchNode:
             case Nif::RC_NiAutoNormalParticles:
             case Nif::RC_NiRotatingParticles:
                 // Leaf nodes in the NIF hierarchy, so won't be able to dynamically attach children.
@@ -669,6 +671,11 @@ namespace NifOsg
                     && !nifNode->controller.empty() && node->getDataVariance() == osg::Object::DYNAMIC)
                 handleNodeControllers(nifNode, static_cast<osg::MatrixTransform*>(node.get()), animflags);
 
+            // LOD and Switch nodes must be wrapped by a transform (the current node) to support transformations properly
+            // and we need to attach their children to the osg::LOD/osg::Switch nodes
+            // but we must return that transform to the caller of handleNode instead of the actual LOD/Switch nodes.
+            osg::ref_ptr<osg::Group> currentNode = node;
+
             if (nifNode->recType == Nif::RC_NiSwitchNode)
             {
                 const Nif::NiSwitchNode* niSwitchNode = static_cast<const Nif::NiSwitchNode*>(nifNode);
@@ -679,7 +686,14 @@ namespace NifOsg
                 else if (niSwitchNode->name == Constants::HerbalismLabel && !SceneUtil::hasUserDescription(rootNode, Constants::HerbalismLabel))
                     rootNode->getOrCreateUserDataContainer()->addDescription(Constants::HerbalismLabel);
 
-                node = switchNode;
+                currentNode = switchNode;
+            }
+            else if (nifNode->recType == Nif::RC_NiLODNode)
+            {
+                const Nif::NiLODNode* niLodNode = static_cast<const Nif::NiLODNode*>(nifNode);
+                osg::ref_ptr<osg::LOD> lodNode = handleLodNode(niLodNode);
+                node->addChild(lodNode);
+                currentNode = lodNode;
             }
 
             const Nif::NiNode *ninode = dynamic_cast<const Nif::NiNode*>(nifNode);
@@ -689,14 +703,14 @@ namespace NifOsg
                 for (size_t i = 0; i < effects.length(); ++i)
                 {
                     if (!effects[i].empty())
-                        handleEffect(effects[i].getPtr(), node, imageManager);
+                        handleEffect(effects[i].getPtr(), currentNode, imageManager);
                 }
 
                 const Nif::NodeList &children = ninode->children;
                 for(size_t i = 0;i < children.length();++i)
                 {
                     if(!children[i].empty())
-                        handleNode(children[i].getPtr(), node, imageManager, boundTextures, animflags, skipMeshes, hasMarkers, isAnimated, textKeys, rootNode);
+                        handleNode(children[i].getPtr(), currentNode, imageManager, boundTextures, animflags, skipMeshes, hasMarkers, isAnimated, textKeys, rootNode);
                 }
             }
 
diff --git a/components/sceneutil/optimizer.cpp b/components/sceneutil/optimizer.cpp
index e8ebed8686..487126627c 100644
--- a/components/sceneutil/optimizer.cpp
+++ b/components/sceneutil/optimizer.cpp
@@ -735,20 +735,6 @@ bool Optimizer::CombineStaticTransformsVisitor::removeTransforms(osg::Node* node
 // RemoveEmptyNodes.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
-void Optimizer::RemoveEmptyNodesVisitor::apply(osg::Switch& switchNode)
-{
-    // We should keep all switch child nodes since they reflect different switch states.
-    for (unsigned int i=0; i<switchNode.getNumChildren(); ++i)
-        traverse(*switchNode.getChild(i));
-}
-
-void Optimizer::RemoveEmptyNodesVisitor::apply(osg::LOD& lod)
-{
-    // don't remove any direct children of the LOD because they are used to define each LOD level.
-    for (unsigned int i=0; i<lod.getNumChildren(); ++i)
-        traverse(*lod.getChild(i));
-}
-
 void Optimizer::RemoveEmptyNodesVisitor::apply(osg::Group& group)
 {
     if (group.getNumParents()>0)
@@ -787,8 +773,11 @@ void Optimizer::RemoveEmptyNodesVisitor::removeEmptyNodes()
                 ++pitr)
             {
                 osg::Group* parent = *pitr;
-                parent->removeChild(nodeToRemove.get());
-                if (parent->getNumChildren()==0 && isOperationPermissibleForObject(parent)) newEmptyGroups.insert(parent);
+                if (!parent->asSwitch() && !dynamic_cast<osg::LOD*>(parent))
+                {
+                    parent->removeChild(nodeToRemove.get());
+                    if (parent->getNumChildren()==0 && isOperationPermissibleForObject(parent)) newEmptyGroups.insert(parent);
+                }
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/components/sceneutil/optimizer.hpp b/components/sceneutil/optimizer.hpp
index 9974e70974..6dd4394d18 100644
--- a/components/sceneutil/optimizer.hpp
+++ b/components/sceneutil/optimizer.hpp
@@ -321,8 +321,6 @@ class Optimizer
                     BaseOptimizerVisitor(optimizer, REMOVE_REDUNDANT_NODES) {}
 
                 virtual void apply(osg::Group& group);
-                virtual void apply(osg::LOD& lod);
-                virtual void apply(osg::Switch& switchNode);
 
                 void removeEmptyNodes();
 
diff --git a/components/sceneutil/serialize.cpp b/components/sceneutil/serialize.cpp
index f84a19876c..60f096a724 100644
--- a/components/sceneutil/serialize.cpp
+++ b/components/sceneutil/serialize.cpp
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ void registerSerializers()
             "NifOsg::StaticBoundingBoxCallback",
             "NifOsg::GeomMorpherController",
             "NifOsg::UpdateMorphGeometry",
+            "NifOsg::CollisionSwitch",
             "osgMyGUI::Drawable",
             "osg::DrawCallback",
             "osgOQ::ClearQueriesCallback",