diff --git a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableModelEntityItem.cpp b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableModelEntityItem.cpp
index 935dd4e796..613bd5d543 100644
--- a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableModelEntityItem.cpp
+++ b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableModelEntityItem.cpp
@@ -371,109 +371,7 @@ void RenderableModelEntityItem::render(RenderArgs* args) {
         _model->updateRenderItems();
     }
 
-    if (hasModel()) {
-        // Prepare the current frame
-        {
-            if (!_model || _needsModelReload) {
-                // TODO: this getModel() appears to be about 3% of model render time. We should optimize
-                PerformanceTimer perfTimer("getModel");
-                auto renderer = qSharedPointerCast<EntityTreeRenderer>(args->_renderer);
-                getModel(renderer);
-
-                // Remap textures immediately after loading to avoid flicker
-                remapTextures();
-            }
-
-            if (_model) {
-                if (hasRenderAnimation()) {
-                    if (!jointsMapped()) {
-                        QStringList modelJointNames = _model->getJointNames();
-                        mapJoints(modelJointNames);
-                    }
-                }
-
-                _jointDataLock.withWriteLock([&] {
-                    getAnimationFrame();
-
-                    // relay any inbound joint changes from scripts/animation/network to the model/rig
-                    for (int index = 0; index < _localJointRotations.size(); index++) {
-                        if (_localJointRotationsDirty[index]) {
-                            glm::quat rotation = _localJointRotations[index];
-                            _model->setJointRotation(index, true, rotation, 1.0f);
-                            _localJointRotationsDirty[index] = false;
-                        }
-                    }
-                    for (int index = 0; index < _localJointTranslations.size(); index++) {
-                        if (_localJointTranslationsDirty[index]) {
-                            glm::vec3 translation = _localJointTranslations[index];
-                            _model->setJointTranslation(index, true, translation, 1.0f);
-                            _localJointTranslationsDirty[index] = false;
-                        }
-                    }
-                });
-                updateModelBounds();
-            }
-        }
-
-        // Enqueue updates for the next frame
-        if (_model) {
-
-#ifdef WANT_EXTRA_RENDER_DEBUGGING
-            // debugging...
-            gpu::Batch& batch = *args->_batch;
-            _model->renderDebugMeshBoxes(batch);
-#endif
-
-            render::ScenePointer scene = AbstractViewStateInterface::instance()->getMain3DScene();
-
-            // FIXME: this seems like it could be optimized if we tracked our last known visible state in
-            //        the renderable item. As it stands now the model checks it's visible/invisible state
-            //        so most of the time we don't do anything in this function.
-            _model->setVisibleInScene(getVisible(), scene);
-
-            // Remap textures for the next frame to avoid flicker
-            remapTextures();
-
-            // update whether the model should be showing collision mesh (this may flag for fixupInScene)
-            bool showingCollisionGeometry = (bool)(args->_debugFlags & (int)RenderArgs::RENDER_DEBUG_HULLS);
-            if (showingCollisionGeometry != _showCollisionGeometry) {
-                ShapeType type = getShapeType();
-                _showCollisionGeometry = showingCollisionGeometry;
-                if (_showCollisionGeometry && type != SHAPE_TYPE_STATIC_MESH && type != SHAPE_TYPE_NONE) {
-                    // NOTE: it is OK if _collisionMeshKey is nullptr
-                    model::MeshPointer mesh = collisionMeshCache.getMesh(_collisionMeshKey);
-                    // NOTE: the model will render the collisionGeometry if it has one
-                    _model->setCollisionMesh(mesh);
-                } else {
-                    // release mesh
-                    if (_collisionMeshKey) {
-                        collisionMeshCache.releaseMesh(_collisionMeshKey);
-                    }
-                    // clear model's collision geometry
-                    model::MeshPointer mesh = nullptr;
-                    _model->setCollisionMesh(mesh);
-                }
-            }
-
-            if (_model->needsFixupInScene()) {
-                render::PendingChanges pendingChanges;
-
-                _model->removeFromScene(scene, pendingChanges);
-
-                render::Item::Status::Getters statusGetters;
-                makeEntityItemStatusGetters(getThisPointer(), statusGetters);
-                _model->addToScene(scene, pendingChanges, statusGetters);
-
-                scene->enqueuePendingChanges(pendingChanges);
-            }
-
-            auto& currentURL = getParsedModelURL();
-            if (currentURL != _model->getURL()) {
-                // Defer setting the url to the render thread
-                getModel(_myRenderer);
-            }
-        }
-    } else {
+    if (!hasModel() || (_model && _model->didVisualGeometryRequestFail())) {
         static glm::vec4 greenColor(0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f);
         gpu::Batch& batch = *args->_batch;
         bool success;
@@ -482,6 +380,109 @@ void RenderableModelEntityItem::render(RenderArgs* args) {
             batch.setModelTransform(shapeTransform); // we want to include the scale as well
             DependencyManager::get<GeometryCache>()->renderWireCubeInstance(batch, greenColor);
         }
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Prepare the current frame
+    {
+        if (!_model || _needsModelReload) {
+            // TODO: this getModel() appears to be about 3% of model render time. We should optimize
+            PerformanceTimer perfTimer("getModel");
+            auto renderer = qSharedPointerCast<EntityTreeRenderer>(args->_renderer);
+            getModel(renderer);
+
+            // Remap textures immediately after loading to avoid flicker
+            remapTextures();
+        }
+
+        if (_model) {
+            if (hasRenderAnimation()) {
+                if (!jointsMapped()) {
+                    QStringList modelJointNames = _model->getJointNames();
+                    mapJoints(modelJointNames);
+                }
+            }
+
+            _jointDataLock.withWriteLock([&] {
+                getAnimationFrame();
+
+                // relay any inbound joint changes from scripts/animation/network to the model/rig
+                for (int index = 0; index < _localJointRotations.size(); index++) {
+                    if (_localJointRotationsDirty[index]) {
+                        glm::quat rotation = _localJointRotations[index];
+                        _model->setJointRotation(index, true, rotation, 1.0f);
+                        _localJointRotationsDirty[index] = false;
+                    }
+                }
+                for (int index = 0; index < _localJointTranslations.size(); index++) {
+                    if (_localJointTranslationsDirty[index]) {
+                        glm::vec3 translation = _localJointTranslations[index];
+                        _model->setJointTranslation(index, true, translation, 1.0f);
+                        _localJointTranslationsDirty[index] = false;
+                    }
+                }
+            });
+            updateModelBounds();
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Enqueue updates for the next frame
+    if (_model) {
+
+#ifdef WANT_EXTRA_RENDER_DEBUGGING
+        // debugging...
+        gpu::Batch& batch = *args->_batch;
+        _model->renderDebugMeshBoxes(batch);
+#endif
+
+        render::ScenePointer scene = AbstractViewStateInterface::instance()->getMain3DScene();
+
+        // FIXME: this seems like it could be optimized if we tracked our last known visible state in
+        //        the renderable item. As it stands now the model checks it's visible/invisible state
+        //        so most of the time we don't do anything in this function.
+        _model->setVisibleInScene(getVisible(), scene);
+
+        // Remap textures for the next frame to avoid flicker
+        remapTextures();
+
+        // update whether the model should be showing collision mesh (this may flag for fixupInScene)
+        bool showingCollisionGeometry = (bool)(args->_debugFlags & (int)RenderArgs::RENDER_DEBUG_HULLS);
+        if (showingCollisionGeometry != _showCollisionGeometry) {
+            ShapeType type = getShapeType();
+            _showCollisionGeometry = showingCollisionGeometry;
+            if (_showCollisionGeometry && type != SHAPE_TYPE_STATIC_MESH && type != SHAPE_TYPE_NONE) {
+                // NOTE: it is OK if _collisionMeshKey is nullptr
+                model::MeshPointer mesh = collisionMeshCache.getMesh(_collisionMeshKey);
+                // NOTE: the model will render the collisionGeometry if it has one
+                _model->setCollisionMesh(mesh);
+            } else {
+                // release mesh
+                if (_collisionMeshKey) {
+                    collisionMeshCache.releaseMesh(_collisionMeshKey);
+                }
+                // clear model's collision geometry
+                model::MeshPointer mesh = nullptr;
+                _model->setCollisionMesh(mesh);
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (_model->needsFixupInScene()) {
+            render::PendingChanges pendingChanges;
+
+            _model->removeFromScene(scene, pendingChanges);
+
+            render::Item::Status::Getters statusGetters;
+            makeEntityItemStatusGetters(getThisPointer(), statusGetters);
+            _model->addToScene(scene, pendingChanges, statusGetters);
+
+            scene->enqueuePendingChanges(pendingChanges);
+        }
+
+        auto& currentURL = getParsedModelURL();
+        if (currentURL != _model->getURL()) {
+            // Defer setting the url to the render thread
+            getModel(_myRenderer);
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -587,6 +588,10 @@ EntityItemProperties RenderableModelEntityItem::getProperties(EntityPropertyFlag
     return properties;
 }
 
+bool RenderableModelEntityItem::supportsDetailedRayIntersection() const {
+    return _model && _model->isLoaded();
+}
+
 bool RenderableModelEntityItem::findDetailedRayIntersection(const glm::vec3& origin, const glm::vec3& direction, 
                          bool& keepSearching, OctreeElementPointer& element, float& distance, BoxFace& face, 
                          glm::vec3& surfaceNormal, void** intersectedObject, bool precisionPicking) const {
diff --git a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableModelEntityItem.h b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableModelEntityItem.h
index bac2118326..057ca36e13 100644
--- a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableModelEntityItem.h
+++ b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderableModelEntityItem.h
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ public:
 
     void updateModelBounds();
     virtual void render(RenderArgs* args) override;
-    virtual bool supportsDetailedRayIntersection() const override { return true; }
+    virtual bool supportsDetailedRayIntersection() const override;
     virtual bool findDetailedRayIntersection(const glm::vec3& origin, const glm::vec3& direction,
                         bool& keepSearching, OctreeElementPointer& element, float& distance,
                         BoxFace& face, glm::vec3& surfaceNormal,