diff --git a/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixer.cpp b/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixer.cpp
index f1e30f4442..28ede7a77d 100644
--- a/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixer.cpp
+++ b/assignment-client/src/avatars/AvatarMixer.cpp
@@ -331,7 +331,13 @@ void AvatarMixer::manageIdentityData(const SharedNodePointer& node) {
         }
     }
     if (sendIdentity) {
-        sendIdentityPacket(nodeData, node); // Tell node whose name changed about its new session display name or avatar.
+
+        // since this packet includes a change to either the skeleton model URL or the display name
+        // it needs a new sequence number
+        nodeData->getAvatar().pushIdentitySequenceNumber();
+
+        // tell node whose name changed about its new session display name or avatar.
+        sendIdentityPacket(nodeData, node);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
index eb4a02cb62..4926ca0fdb 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.cpp
@@ -1496,13 +1496,13 @@ void AvatarData::processAvatarIdentity(const QByteArray& identityData, bool& ide
     udt::SequenceNumber incomingSequenceNumber(incomingSequenceNumberType);
 
     if (!_hasProcessedFirstIdentity) {
-        _lastSequenceNumber = incomingSequenceNumber - 1;
+        _identitySequenceNumber = incomingSequenceNumber - 1;
         _hasProcessedFirstIdentity = true;
         qCDebug(avatars) << "Processing first identity packet for" << avatarSessionID << "-"
             << (udt::SequenceNumber::Type) incomingSequenceNumber;
     }
 
-    if (incomingSequenceNumber > _lastSequenceNumber) {
+    if (incomingSequenceNumber > _identitySequenceNumber) {
         Identity identity;
 
         packetStream >> identity.skeletonModelURL
@@ -1512,7 +1512,7 @@ void AvatarData::processAvatarIdentity(const QByteArray& identityData, bool& ide
             >> identity.avatarEntityData;
 
         // set the store identity sequence number to match the incoming identity
-        _lastSequenceNumber = incomingSequenceNumber;
+        _identitySequenceNumber = incomingSequenceNumber;
 
         if (_firstSkeletonCheck || (identity.skeletonModelURL != cannonicalSkeletonModelURL(emptyURL))) {
             setSkeletonModelURL(identity.skeletonModelURL);
@@ -1555,7 +1555,7 @@ void AvatarData::processAvatarIdentity(const QByteArray& identityData, bool& ide
     } else {
 
         qCDebug(avatars) << "Refusing to process identity for" << uuidStringWithoutCurlyBraces(avatarSessionID) << "since"
-            << (udt::SequenceNumber::Type) _lastSequenceNumber
+            << (udt::SequenceNumber::Type) _identitySequenceNumber
             << "is >=" << (udt::SequenceNumber::Type) incomingSequenceNumber;
 #endif
     }
@@ -1571,7 +1571,7 @@ QByteArray AvatarData::identityByteArray() const {
 
     _avatarEntitiesLock.withReadLock([&] {
         identityStream << getSessionUUID()
-            << (udt::SequenceNumber::Type) _lastSequenceNumber
+            << (udt::SequenceNumber::Type) _identitySequenceNumber
             << urlToSend
             << _attachmentData
             << _displayName
@@ -1755,7 +1755,7 @@ void AvatarData::sendIdentityPacket() {
 
     if (_identityDataChanged) {
         // if the identity data has changed, push the sequence number forwards
-        ++_lastSequenceNumber;
+        ++_identitySequenceNumber;
     }
 
     QByteArray identityData = identityByteArray();
diff --git a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
index 8d09f936b5..de905277d5 100644
--- a/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
+++ b/libraries/avatars/src/AvatarData.h
@@ -625,6 +625,8 @@ public:
     bool getIdentityDataChanged() const { return _identityDataChanged; } // has the identity data changed since the last time sendIdentityPacket() was called
     void markIdentityDataChanged() { _identityDataChanged = true; }
 
+    void pushIdentitySequenceNumber() { ++_identitySequenceNumber; };
+
     float getDensity() const { return _density; }
 
 signals:
@@ -781,7 +783,7 @@ protected:
     float _audioAverageLoudness { 0.0f };
 
     bool _identityDataChanged { false };
-    udt::SequenceNumber _lastSequenceNumber { 0 };
+    udt::SequenceNumber _identitySequenceNumber { 0 };
     bool _hasProcessedFirstIdentity { false };
     float _density;
 
diff --git a/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.cpp b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.cpp
index 623832aaa8..704455c981 100644
--- a/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.cpp
+++ b/libraries/model-networking/src/model-networking/ModelCache.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 
 #include <QThreadPool>
 
+#include <Gzip.h>
+
 #include "ModelNetworkingLogging.h"
 #include <Trace.h>
 #include <StatTracker.h>
@@ -171,7 +173,9 @@ void GeometryReader::run() {
 
         QString urlname = _url.path().toLower();
         if (!urlname.isEmpty() && !_url.path().isEmpty() &&
-            (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".fbx") || _url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj"))) {
+			(_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".fbx") || 
+			_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj") || 
+			_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj.gz"))) {
             FBXGeometry::Pointer fbxGeometry;
 
             if (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".fbx")) {
@@ -181,7 +185,15 @@ void GeometryReader::run() {
                 }
             } else if (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj")) {
                 fbxGeometry.reset(OBJReader().readOBJ(_data, _mapping, _combineParts, _url));
-            } else {
+			} else if (_url.path().toLower().endsWith(".obj.gz")) {
+				QByteArray uncompressedData;
+				if (gunzip(_data, uncompressedData)){
+					fbxGeometry.reset(OBJReader().readOBJ(uncompressedData, _mapping, _combineParts, _url));
+				} else {
+					throw QString("failed to decompress .obj.gz" );
+				}
+
+			} else {
                 throw QString("unsupported format");
             }