diff --git a/libraries/models/src/ModelItem.cpp b/libraries/models/src/ModelItem.cpp
index de49bf1712..ca93803899 100644
--- a/libraries/models/src/ModelItem.cpp
+++ b/libraries/models/src/ModelItem.cpp
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ void ModelItem::init(glm::vec3 position, float radius, rgbColor color, uint32_t
     _lastAnimated = now;
 }
 
-bool ModelItem::appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData) const {
+OctreeElement::AppendState ModelItem::appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstreamParams& params) const {
 
     bool success = packetData->appendValue(getID());
 
@@ -193,12 +193,10 @@ bool ModelItem::appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData) const {
         success = packetData->appendValue(getAnimationFPS());
     }
 
-    return success;
+    return success ? OctreeElement::COMPLETED : OctreeElement::NONE;
 }
 
-bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstreamParams& params) const {
-
-    // bool headerFits = ...
+OctreeElement::AppendState ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstreamParams& params) const {
 
     // ALL this fits...
     //    object ID [16 bytes]
@@ -208,7 +206,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
     //    PropertyFlags<>( everything ) [1-2 bytes]
     // ~27-35 bytes...
     
-    bool success = false;
+    OctreeElement::AppendState appendState = OctreeElement::COMPLETED; // assume the best
 
     quint64 updateDelta = getLastUpdated() <= getLastEdited() ? 0 : getLastUpdated() - getLastEdited();
     ByteCountCoded<quint64> updateDeltaCoder = updateDelta;
@@ -252,6 +250,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_RADIUS
@@ -263,6 +262,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_MODEL_URL
@@ -274,6 +274,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_ROTATION
@@ -285,6 +286,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_COLOR
@@ -296,6 +298,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_SCRIPT
@@ -310,6 +313,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_ANIMATION_FPS
@@ -321,6 +325,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_ANIMATION_FRAME_INDEX
@@ -332,6 +337,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_ANIMATION_PLAYING
@@ -343,6 +349,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
 
         // PROP_SHOULD_BE_DELETED
@@ -354,6 +361,7 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
             packetData->endLevel(propertyLevel);
         } else {
             packetData->discardLevel(propertyLevel);
+            appendState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
         }
     }
     if (propertyCount > 0) {
@@ -381,12 +389,12 @@ bool ModelItem::new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstr
         }
        
         packetData->endLevel(modelLevel);
-        success = true;
     } else {
         packetData->discardLevel(modelLevel);
+        appendState = OctreeElement::NONE; // if we got here, then we didn't include the item
     }
 
-    return success;
+    return appendState;
 }
 
 int ModelItem::expectedBytes() {
diff --git a/libraries/models/src/ModelItem.h b/libraries/models/src/ModelItem.h
index a9d5c70475..662c89c558 100644
--- a/libraries/models/src/ModelItem.h
+++ b/libraries/models/src/ModelItem.h
@@ -282,10 +282,10 @@ public:
     
     void setProperties(const ModelItemProperties& properties);
 
-    bool new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstreamParams& params) const;
+    OctreeElement::AppendState new___appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstreamParams& params) const;
     int new___readModelDataFromBuffer(const unsigned char* data, int bytesLeftToRead, ReadBitstreamToTreeParams& args);
 
-    bool appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData) const;
+    OctreeElement::AppendState appendModelData(OctreePacketData* packetData, EncodeBitstreamParams& params) const;
     int readModelDataFromBuffer(const unsigned char* data, int bytesLeftToRead, ReadBitstreamToTreeParams& args);
     static int expectedBytes();
 
diff --git a/libraries/models/src/ModelTreeElement.cpp b/libraries/models/src/ModelTreeElement.cpp
index a7cfce59e5..a5c1c373ab 100644
--- a/libraries/models/src/ModelTreeElement.cpp
+++ b/libraries/models/src/ModelTreeElement.cpp
@@ -56,7 +56,10 @@ ModelTreeElement* ModelTreeElement::addChildAtIndex(int index) {
 // contents across multiple packets.
 OctreeElement::AppendState ModelTreeElement::appendElementData(OctreePacketData* packetData, 
                                                                     EncodeBitstreamParams& params) const {
-    bool success = true; // assume the best...
+    
+    OctreeElement::AppendState appendElementState = OctreeElement::COMPLETED; // assume the best...
+
+    LevelDetails elementLevel = packetData->startLevel();
 
     // write our models out... first determine which of the models are in view based on our params
     uint16_t numberOfModels = 0;
@@ -79,33 +82,49 @@ OctreeElement::AppendState ModelTreeElement::appendElementData(OctreePacketData*
     }
 
     int numberOfModelsOffset = packetData->getUncompressedByteOffset();
-    success = packetData->appendValue(numberOfModels);
+    bool successAppendModelCount = packetData->appendValue(numberOfModels);
 
-    if (success) {
+    if (successAppendModelCount) {
         foreach (uint16_t i, indexesOfModelsToInclude) {
             const ModelItem& model = (*_modelItems)[i];
             
             LevelDetails modelLevel = packetData->startLevel();
     
-            success = model.appendModelData(packetData);
+            OctreeElement::AppendState appendModelState = model.appendModelData(packetData, params);
 
-            if (success) {
+            // If none of this model data was able to be appended, then discard it
+            // and don't include it in our model count
+            if (appendModelState == OctreeElement::NONE) {
+                packetData->discardLevel(modelLevel);
+            } else {
+                // If either ALL or some of it got appended, then end the level (commit it)
+                // and include the model in our final count of models
                 packetData->endLevel(modelLevel);
                 actualNumberOfModels++;
             }
-            if (!success) {
-                packetData->discardLevel(modelLevel);
-                break;
+
+            // If any part of the model items didn't fit, then the element is considered partial
+            if (appendModelState != OctreeElement::COMPLETED) {
+                appendElementState = OctreeElement::PARTIAL;
             }
         }
     }
     
-    if (!success) {
-        success = packetData->updatePriorBytes(numberOfModelsOffset, 
+    // If we wrote fewer models than we expected, update the number of models in our packet
+    bool successUpdateModelCount = true;
+    if (numberOfModels != actualNumberOfModels) {
+        successUpdateModelCount = packetData->updatePriorBytes(numberOfModelsOffset,
                                             (const unsigned char*)&actualNumberOfModels, sizeof(actualNumberOfModels));
     }
+
+    if (!successUpdateModelCount) {
+        packetData->discardLevel(elementLevel);
+        appendElementState = OctreeElement::NONE;
+    } else {
+        packetData->endLevel(elementLevel);
+    }
     
-    return success ? OctreeElement::COMPLETED : OctreeElement::NONE;
+    return appendElementState;
 }
 
 bool ModelTreeElement::containsModelBounds(const ModelItem& model) const {