diff --git a/libraries/fbx/src/FBXReader_Mesh.cpp b/libraries/fbx/src/FBXReader_Mesh.cpp
index 9f1ccbbe47..4e153dfe3a 100644
--- a/libraries/fbx/src/FBXReader_Mesh.cpp
+++ b/libraries/fbx/src/FBXReader_Mesh.cpp
@@ -422,17 +422,12 @@ void FBXReader::buildModelMesh(FBXMesh& extractedMesh, const QString& url) {
     int colorsSize = fbxMesh.colors.size() * sizeof(glm::vec3);
     int texCoordsSize = fbxMesh.texCoords.size() * sizeof(glm::vec2);
     int texCoords1Size = fbxMesh.texCoords1.size() * sizeof(glm::vec2);
-#define UNFORTUNATE_HACK
-#ifdef UNFORTUNATE_HACK
-    // HACK: store clusterIndices in floats rather than short integers
-    int clusterIndicesSize = fbxMesh.clusterIndices.size() * sizeof(float);
-#else // UNFORTUNATE_HACK
+
     int clusterIndicesSize = fbxMesh.clusterIndices.size() * sizeof(uint8_t);
     if (fbxMesh.clusters.size() > UINT8_MAX) {
         // we need 16 bits instead of just 8 for clusterIndices
         clusterIndicesSize *= 2;
     }
-#endif // UNFORTUNATE_HACK
     int clusterWeightsSize = fbxMesh.clusterWeights.size() * sizeof(uint8_t);
 
     int normalsOffset = 0;
@@ -452,17 +447,7 @@ void FBXReader::buildModelMesh(FBXMesh& extractedMesh, const QString& url) {
     attribBuffer->setSubData(colorsOffset, colorsSize, (gpu::Byte*) fbxMesh.colors.constData());
     attribBuffer->setSubData(texCoordsOffset, texCoordsSize, (gpu::Byte*) fbxMesh.texCoords.constData());
     attribBuffer->setSubData(texCoords1Offset, texCoords1Size, (gpu::Byte*) fbxMesh.texCoords1.constData());
-#ifdef UNFORTUNATE_HACK
-    // HACK: copy clusterIndices back into floats to appease render pipeline
-    QVector<float> clusterIndices;
-    int32_t numIndices = fbxMesh.clusterIndices.size();
-    clusterIndices.resize(numIndices);
-    for (int32_t i = 0; i < numIndices; ++i) {
-        assert(fbxMesh.clusterIndices[i] <= UINT8_MAX);
-        clusterIndices[i] = (float)(fbxMesh.clusterIndices[i]);
-    }
-    attribBuffer->setSubData(clusterIndicesOffset, clusterIndicesSize, (gpu::Byte*) clusterIndices.constData());
-#else // UNFORTUNATE_HACK
+
     if (fbxMesh.clusters.size() < UINT8_MAX) {
         // yay! we can fit the clusterIndices within 8-bits
         int32_t numIndices = fbxMesh.clusterIndices.size();
@@ -476,7 +461,6 @@ void FBXReader::buildModelMesh(FBXMesh& extractedMesh, const QString& url) {
     } else {
         attribBuffer->setSubData(clusterIndicesOffset, clusterIndicesSize, (gpu::Byte*) fbxMesh.clusterIndices.constData());
     }
-#endif // UNFORTUNATE_HACK
     attribBuffer->setSubData(clusterWeightsOffset, clusterWeightsSize, (gpu::Byte*) fbxMesh.clusterWeights.constData());
 
     if (normalsSize) {
@@ -509,14 +493,6 @@ void FBXReader::buildModelMesh(FBXMesh& extractedMesh, const QString& url) {
                             gpu::Element(gpu::VEC2, gpu::FLOAT, gpu::UV)));
     }
 
-#ifdef UNFORTUNATE_HACK
-    // HACK: cluster indices are submitted to render pipeline in FLOAT format
-    if (clusterIndicesSize) {
-        mesh->addAttribute(gpu::Stream::SKIN_CLUSTER_INDEX,
-                          model::BufferView(attribBuffer, clusterIndicesOffset, clusterIndicesSize,
-                                            gpu::Element(gpu::VEC4, gpu::FLOAT, gpu::XYZW)));
-    }
-#else // UNFORTUNATE_HACK
     if (clusterIndicesSize) {
         if (fbxMesh.clusters.size() < UINT8_MAX) {
             mesh->addAttribute(gpu::Stream::SKIN_CLUSTER_INDEX,
@@ -528,7 +504,6 @@ void FBXReader::buildModelMesh(FBXMesh& extractedMesh, const QString& url) {
                                                  gpu::Element(gpu::VEC4, gpu::UINT16, gpu::XYZW)));
         }
     }
-#endif // UNFORTUNATE_HACK
     if (clusterWeightsSize) {
         mesh->addAttribute(gpu::Stream::SKIN_CLUSTER_WEIGHT,
                           model::BufferView(attribBuffer, clusterWeightsOffset, clusterWeightsSize,
diff --git a/libraries/gpu/src/gpu/Inputs.slh b/libraries/gpu/src/gpu/Inputs.slh
index ce5e4227eb..843d1059f2 100644
--- a/libraries/gpu/src/gpu/Inputs.slh
+++ b/libraries/gpu/src/gpu/Inputs.slh
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ layout(location = 1) in vec4 inNormal;
 layout(location = 2) in vec4 inColor;
 layout(location = 3) in vec4 inTexCoord0;
 layout(location = 4) in vec4 inTangent;
-layout(location = 5) in vec4 inSkinClusterIndex;
+layout(location = 5) in ivec4 inSkinClusterIndex;
 layout(location = 6) in vec4 inSkinClusterWeight;
 layout(location = 7) in vec4 inTexCoord1;
 <@endif@>
diff --git a/libraries/render-utils/src/Skinning.slh b/libraries/render-utils/src/Skinning.slh
index 687dab536b..2d1f010029 100644
--- a/libraries/render-utils/src/Skinning.slh
+++ b/libraries/render-utils/src/Skinning.slh
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ layout(std140) uniform skinClusterBuffer {
     mat4 clusterMatrices[MAX_CLUSTERS];
 };
 
-void skinPosition(vec4 skinClusterIndex, vec4 skinClusterWeight, vec4 inPosition, out vec4 skinnedPosition) {
+void skinPosition(ivec4 skinClusterIndex, vec4 skinClusterWeight, vec4 inPosition, out vec4 skinnedPosition) {
     vec4 newPosition = vec4(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
 
     for (int i = 0; i < INDICES_PER_VERTEX; i++) {
-        mat4 clusterMatrix = clusterMatrices[int(skinClusterIndex[i])];
+        mat4 clusterMatrix = clusterMatrices[(skinClusterIndex[i])];
         float clusterWeight = skinClusterWeight[i];
         newPosition += clusterMatrix * inPosition * clusterWeight;
     }
@@ -30,13 +30,13 @@ void skinPosition(vec4 skinClusterIndex, vec4 skinClusterWeight, vec4 inPosition
     skinnedPosition = newPosition;
 }
 
-void skinPositionNormal(vec4 skinClusterIndex, vec4 skinClusterWeight, vec4 inPosition, vec3 inNormal,
+void skinPositionNormal(ivec4 skinClusterIndex, vec4 skinClusterWeight, vec4 inPosition, vec3 inNormal,
                         out vec4 skinnedPosition, out vec3 skinnedNormal) {
     vec4 newPosition = vec4(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
     vec4 newNormal = vec4(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
 
     for (int i = 0; i < INDICES_PER_VERTEX; i++) {
-        mat4 clusterMatrix = clusterMatrices[int(skinClusterIndex[i])];
+        mat4 clusterMatrix = clusterMatrices[(skinClusterIndex[i])];
         float clusterWeight = skinClusterWeight[i];
         newPosition += clusterMatrix * inPosition * clusterWeight;
         newNormal += clusterMatrix * vec4(inNormal.xyz, 0.0) * clusterWeight;
@@ -46,14 +46,14 @@ void skinPositionNormal(vec4 skinClusterIndex, vec4 skinClusterWeight, vec4 inPo
     skinnedNormal = newNormal.xyz;
 }
 
-void skinPositionNormalTangent(vec4 skinClusterIndex, vec4 skinClusterWeight, vec4 inPosition, vec3 inNormal, vec3 inTangent,
+void skinPositionNormalTangent(ivec4 skinClusterIndex, vec4 skinClusterWeight, vec4 inPosition, vec3 inNormal, vec3 inTangent,
                                out vec4 skinnedPosition, out vec3 skinnedNormal, out vec3 skinnedTangent) {
     vec4 newPosition = vec4(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
     vec4 newNormal = vec4(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
     vec4 newTangent = vec4(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
 
     for (int i = 0; i < INDICES_PER_VERTEX; i++) {
-        mat4 clusterMatrix = clusterMatrices[int(skinClusterIndex[i])];
+        mat4 clusterMatrix = clusterMatrices[(skinClusterIndex[i])];
         float clusterWeight = skinClusterWeight[i];
         newPosition += clusterMatrix * inPosition * clusterWeight;
         newNormal += clusterMatrix * vec4(inNormal.xyz, 0.0) * clusterWeight;