diff --git a/libraries/physics/src/CharacterController.cpp b/libraries/physics/src/CharacterController.cpp
index 0bbfa41a12..7f63fd9f5e 100755
--- a/libraries/physics/src/CharacterController.cpp
+++ b/libraries/physics/src/CharacterController.cpp
@@ -262,29 +262,54 @@ void CharacterController::playerStep(btCollisionWorld* collisionWorld, btScalar
         btVector3 linearDisplacement = clampLength(vel * dt, MAX_DISPLACEMENT);  // clamp displacement to prevent tunneling.
         btVector3 endPos = startPos + linearDisplacement;
 
+        // resolve the simple linearDisplacement
+        _followLinearDisplacement += linearDisplacement;
+
+        // now for the rotational part...
         btQuaternion startRot = bodyTransform.getRotation();
         btQuaternion desiredRot = _followDesiredBodyTransform.getRotation();
-        if (desiredRot.dot(startRot) < 0.0f) {
-            desiredRot = -desiredRot;
-        }
-        btQuaternion deltaRot = desiredRot * startRot.inverse();
-        float angularSpeed = deltaRot.getAngle() / _followTimeRemaining;
-        glm::vec3 rotationAxis = glm::normalize(glm::axis(bulletToGLM(deltaRot)));  // deltaRot.getAxis() is inaccurate
-        btQuaternion angularDisplacement = btQuaternion(glmToBullet(rotationAxis), angularSpeed * dt);
-        btQuaternion endRot = angularDisplacement * startRot;
-
-        // in order to accumulate displacement of avatar position, we need to take _shapeLocalOffset into account.
-        btVector3 shapeLocalOffset = glmToBullet(_shapeLocalOffset);
-        btVector3 swingDisplacement = rotateVector(endRot, -shapeLocalOffset) - rotateVector(startRot, -shapeLocalOffset);
-
-        if (!isNaN(bulletToGLM(endPos)) && !isNaN(bulletToGLM(endRot))) {
-            _followLinearDisplacement = linearDisplacement + swingDisplacement + _followLinearDisplacement;
-            _followAngularDisplacement = angularDisplacement * _followAngularDisplacement;
-
-            _rigidBody->setWorldTransform(btTransform(endRot, endPos));
-        } else {
-            qCWarning(physics) << "CharacterController::playerStep produced NaN.";
+
+        // startRot as default rotation
+        btQuaternion endRot = startRot;
+
+        // the dot product between two quaternions is equal to +/- cos(angle/2)
+        // where 'angle' is that of the rotation between them
+        float qDot = desiredRot.dot(startRot);
+
+        // when the abs() value of the dot product is approximately 1.0
+        // then the two rotations are effectively adjacent
+        const float MIN_DOT_PRODUCT_OF_ADJACENT_QUATERNIONS = 0.99999f; // corresponds to approx 0.5 degrees
+        if (fabsf(qDot) < MIN_DOT_PRODUCT_OF_ADJACENT_QUATERNIONS) {
+        if (qDot < 0.0f) {
+                // the quaternions are actually on opposite hyperhemispheres
+                // so we move one to agree with the other and negate qDot
+                desiredRot = -desiredRot;
+                qDot = -qDot;
+            }
+            btQuaternion deltaRot = desiredRot * startRot.inverse();
+
+            // the axis is the imaginary part, but scaled by sin(angle/2)
+            btVector3 axis(deltaRot.getX(), deltaRot.getY(), deltaRot.getZ());
+            axis /= sqrtf(1.0f - qDot*qDot); 
+
+            // compute the angle we will resolve for this dt, but don't overshoot
+            float angle = (2.0f * acosf(qDot)); 
+            if ( dt < _followTimeRemaining) {
+                angle *= dt / _followTimeRemaining;
+            }
+            
+            // accumulate rotation
+            deltaRot = btQuaternion(axis, angle); 
+            _followAngularDisplacement = (deltaRot * _followAngularDisplacement).normalize();
+            
+            // in order to accumulate displacement of avatar position, we need to take _shapeLocalOffset into account.
+            btVector3 shapeLocalOffset = glmToBullet(_shapeLocalOffset);
+
+            endRot = deltaRot * startRot;
+            btVector3 swingDisplacement = rotateVector(endRot, -shapeLocalOffset) - rotateVector(startRot, -shapeLocalOffset);
+            _followLinearDisplacement += swingDisplacement;        
         }
+        _rigidBody->setWorldTransform(btTransform(endRot, endPos));
     }
     _followTime += dt;