diff --git a/interface/src/Application.cpp b/interface/src/Application.cpp
index 07c1b4e38d..ec4b2c6b8e 100644
--- a/interface/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Application.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-//
+		//
 //  Application.cpp
 //  interface/src
 //
@@ -2481,17 +2481,41 @@ void Application::init() {
     connect(tree, &EntityTree::newCollisionSoundURL, DependencyManager::get<SoundCache>().data(), &SoundCache::getSound);
     connect(_myAvatar, &MyAvatar::newCollisionSoundURL, DependencyManager::get<SoundCache>().data(), &SoundCache::getSound);
 
-    setAvatarUpdateThreading(Menu::getInstance()->isOptionChecked(MenuOption::EnableAvatarUpdateThreading));
+    setAvatarUpdateThreading();
 }
 
-void Application::setAvatarUpdateThreading(bool isThreaded) {
+void Application::setAvatarUpdateThreading() {
+    setAvatarUpdateThreading(Menu::getInstance()->isOptionChecked(MenuOption::EnableAvatarUpdateThreading));
+}
+void Application::setRawAvatarUpdateThreading() {
+    setRawAvatarUpdateThreading(Menu::getInstance()->isOptionChecked(MenuOption::EnableAvatarUpdateThreading));
+}
+void Application::setRawAvatarUpdateThreading(bool isThreaded) {
     if (_avatarUpdate) {
-        getMyAvatar()->destroyAnimGraph();
+        if (_avatarUpdate->isThreaded() == isThreaded) {
+            return;
+        }
         _avatarUpdate->terminate();
     }
     _avatarUpdate = new AvatarUpdate();
     _avatarUpdate->initialize(isThreaded);
 }
+void Application::setAvatarUpdateThreading(bool isThreaded) {
+    if (_avatarUpdate && (_avatarUpdate->isThreaded() == isThreaded)) {
+        return;
+    }
+    bool isRigEnabled = getMyAvatar()->getEnableRigAnimations();
+    bool isGraphEnabled = getMyAvatar()->getEnableAnimGraph();
+    if (_avatarUpdate) {
+        _avatarUpdate->terminate(); // Must be before we shutdown anim graph.
+    }
+    getMyAvatar()->setEnableRigAnimations(false);
+    getMyAvatar()->setEnableAnimGraph(false);
+    _avatarUpdate = new AvatarUpdate();
+    _avatarUpdate->initialize(isThreaded);
+    getMyAvatar()->setEnableRigAnimations(isRigEnabled);
+    getMyAvatar()->setEnableAnimGraph(isGraphEnabled);
+}
 
 
 void Application::closeMirrorView() {
diff --git a/interface/src/Application.h b/interface/src/Application.h
index 6056323aa9..e1acc7c7c3 100644
--- a/interface/src/Application.h
+++ b/interface/src/Application.h
@@ -412,7 +412,10 @@ public slots:
     void openUrl(const QUrl& url);
 
     void updateMyAvatarTransform();
+    void setAvatarUpdateThreading();
     void setAvatarUpdateThreading(bool isThreaded);
+    void setRawAvatarUpdateThreading();
+    void setRawAvatarUpdateThreading(bool isThreaded);
 
     void domainSettingsReceived(const QJsonObject& domainSettingsObject);
 
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
index bafca2844d..27b69554db 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.cpp
@@ -710,7 +710,6 @@ float loadSetting(QSettings& settings, const char* name, float defaultValue) {
 // If we demand the animation from the update thread while we're locked, we'll deadlock.
 // Until we untangle this, code puts the updates back on the main thread temporarilly and starts all the loading.
 void MyAvatar::safelyLoadAnimations() {
-    qApp->setAvatarUpdateThreading(false);
     _rig->addAnimationByRole("idle");
     _rig->addAnimationByRole("walk");
     _rig->addAnimationByRole("backup");
@@ -721,30 +720,40 @@ void MyAvatar::safelyLoadAnimations() {
 }
 
 void MyAvatar::setEnableRigAnimations(bool isEnabled) {
-    if (isEnabled) {
-        safelyLoadAnimations();
+    if (_rig->getEnableRig() == isEnabled) {
+        return;
     }
-    _rig->setEnableRig(isEnabled);
-    if (!isEnabled) {
+    if (isEnabled) {
+        qApp->setRawAvatarUpdateThreading(false);
+        setEnableAnimGraph(false);
+        Menu::getInstance()->setIsOptionChecked(MenuOption::EnableAnimGraph, false);
+        safelyLoadAnimations();
+        qApp->setRawAvatarUpdateThreading();
+        _rig->setEnableRig(true);
+    } else {
+        _rig->setEnableRig(false);
         _rig->deleteAnimations();
-    } else if (Menu::getInstance()->isOptionChecked(MenuOption::EnableAvatarUpdateThreading)) {
-        qApp->setAvatarUpdateThreading(true);
     }
 }
 
 void MyAvatar::setEnableAnimGraph(bool isEnabled) {
-    if (isEnabled) {
-        safelyLoadAnimations();
+    if (_rig->getEnableAnimGraph() == isEnabled) {
+        return;
     }
-    _rig->setEnableAnimGraph(isEnabled);
     if (isEnabled) {
+        qApp->setRawAvatarUpdateThreading(false);
+        setEnableRigAnimations(false);
+        Menu::getInstance()->setIsOptionChecked(MenuOption::EnableRigAnimations, false);
+        safelyLoadAnimations();
         if (_skeletonModel.readyToAddToScene()) {
-            initAnimGraph();
-        }
-        if (Menu::getInstance()->isOptionChecked(MenuOption::EnableAvatarUpdateThreading)) {
-            qApp->setAvatarUpdateThreading(true);
-        }
+            _rig->setEnableAnimGraph(true);
+           initAnimGraph(); // must be enabled for the init to happen
+            _rig->setEnableAnimGraph(false); // must be disable to safely reset threading
+       }
+        qApp->setRawAvatarUpdateThreading();
+        _rig->setEnableAnimGraph(true);
     } else {
+        _rig->setEnableAnimGraph(false);
         destroyAnimGraph();
     }
 }
@@ -1098,7 +1107,17 @@ void MyAvatar::useFullAvatarURL(const QUrl& fullAvatarURL, const QString& modelN
 
     const QString& urlString = fullAvatarURL.toString();
     if (urlString.isEmpty() || (fullAvatarURL != getSkeletonModelURL())) {
+        bool isRigEnabled = getEnableRigAnimations();
+        bool isGraphEnabled = getEnableAnimGraph();
+        qApp->setRawAvatarUpdateThreading(false);
+        setEnableRigAnimations(false);
+        setEnableAnimGraph(false);
+
         setSkeletonModelURL(fullAvatarURL);
+
+        setEnableRigAnimations(isRigEnabled);
+        setEnableAnimGraph(isGraphEnabled);
+        qApp->setRawAvatarUpdateThreading();
         UserActivityLogger::getInstance().changedModel("skeleton", urlString);
     }
     sendIdentityPacket();
diff --git a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
index bb3c6385f9..6989ea3969 100644
--- a/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
+++ b/interface/src/avatar/MyAvatar.h
@@ -192,7 +192,9 @@ public slots:
 
     virtual void rebuildSkeletonBody();
 
+    bool getEnableRigAnimations() const { return _rig->getEnableRig(); }
     void setEnableRigAnimations(bool isEnabled);
+    bool getEnableAnimGraph() const { return _rig->getEnableAnimGraph(); }
     void setEnableAnimGraph(bool isEnabled);
     void setEnableDebugDrawBindPose(bool isEnabled);
     void setEnableDebugDrawAnimPose(bool isEnabled);
diff --git a/libraries/animation/src/AnimInverseKinematics.cpp b/libraries/animation/src/AnimInverseKinematics.cpp
index 71401b6c60..b6d2be11f2 100644
--- a/libraries/animation/src/AnimInverseKinematics.cpp
+++ b/libraries/animation/src/AnimInverseKinematics.cpp
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ void AnimInverseKinematics::loadDefaultPoses(const AnimPoseVec& poses) {
 }
 
 void AnimInverseKinematics::loadPoses(const AnimPoseVec& poses) {
-    assert(_skeleton && _skeleton->getNumJoints() == (int)poses.size());
+    assert(_skeleton && (!poses.size() || (_skeleton->getNumJoints() == (int)poses.size())));
     if (_skeleton->getNumJoints() == (int)poses.size()) {
         _relativePoses = poses;
     } else {
diff --git a/libraries/animation/src/Rig.h b/libraries/animation/src/Rig.h
index 0a3ebad5d2..861f095b9c 100644
--- a/libraries/animation/src/Rig.h
+++ b/libraries/animation/src/Rig.h
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ public:
     virtual void updateJointState(int index, glm::mat4 rootTransform) = 0;
 
     void setEnableRig(bool isEnabled) { _enableRig = isEnabled; }
+    bool getEnableRig() const { return _enableRig; }
     void setEnableAnimGraph(bool isEnabled) { _enableAnimGraph = isEnabled; }
     bool getEnableAnimGraph() const { return _enableAnimGraph; }