diff --git a/examples/editModels.js b/examples/editModels.js
index 1ab6ce0008..9278f32490 100644
--- a/examples/editModels.js
+++ b/examples/editModels.js
@@ -717,8 +717,8 @@ function rayPlaneIntersection(pickRay, point, normal) {
 function Tooltip() {
     this.x = 285;
     this.y = 115;
-    this.width = 110;
-    this.height = 115 ;
+    this.width = 500;
+    this.height = 145 ;
     this.margin = 5;
     this.decimals = 3;
     
@@ -746,6 +746,9 @@ function Tooltip() {
         text += "yaw:  " + angles.y.toFixed(this.decimals) + "\n"
         text += "roll:    " + angles.z.toFixed(this.decimals) + "\n"
         text += "Scale: " + 2 * properties.radius.toFixed(this.decimals) + "\n"
+        text += "ID: " + properties.id + "\n"
+        text += "model url: " + properties.modelURL + "\n"
+        text += "animation url: " + properties.animationURL + "\n"
         
         Overlays.editOverlay(this.textOverlay, { text: text });
     }
@@ -1019,9 +1022,11 @@ var modelMenuAddedDelete = false;
 function setupModelMenus() {
     print("setupModelMenus()");
     // add our menuitems
+    Menu.addMenuItem({ menuName: "Edit", menuItemName: "Models", isSeparator: true, beforeItem: "Physics" });
+    Menu.addMenuItem({ menuName: "Edit", menuItemName: "Edit Properties...", 
+        shortcutKeyEvent: { text: "`" }, afterItem: "Models" });
     if (!Menu.menuItemExists("Edit","Delete")) {
         print("no delete... adding ours");
-        Menu.addMenuItem({ menuName: "Edit", menuItemName: "Models", isSeparator: true, beforeItem: "Physics" });
         Menu.addMenuItem({ menuName: "Edit", menuItemName: "Delete", 
             shortcutKeyEvent: { text: "backspace" }, afterItem: "Models" });
         modelMenuAddedDelete = true;
@@ -1031,9 +1036,10 @@ function setupModelMenus() {
 }
 
 function cleanupModelMenus() {
+    Menu.removeSeparator("Edit", "Models");
+    Menu.removeMenuItem("Edit", "Edit Properties...");
     if (modelMenuAddedDelete) {
         // delete our menuitems
-        Menu.removeSeparator("Edit", "Models");
         Menu.removeMenuItem("Edit", "Delete");
     }
 }
@@ -1054,7 +1060,8 @@ Controller.mouseMoveEvent.connect(mouseMoveEvent);
 Controller.mouseReleaseEvent.connect(mouseReleaseEvent);
 
 setupModelMenus();
-Menu.menuItemEvent.connect(function(menuItem){
+
+function handeMenuEvent(menuItem){
     print("menuItemEvent() in JS... menuItem=" + menuItem);
     if (menuItem == "Delete") {
         if (leftController.grabbing) {
@@ -1072,8 +1079,36 @@ Menu.menuItemEvent.connect(function(menuItem){
         } else {
             print("  Delete Model.... not holding...");
         }
+    } else if (menuItem == "Edit Properties...") {
+        var editModelID = -1;
+        if (leftController.grabbing) {
+            print("  Edit Properties.... leftController.modelID="+ leftController.modelID);
+            editModelID = leftController.modelID;
+        } else if (rightController.grabbing) {
+            print("  Edit Properties.... rightController.modelID="+ rightController.modelID);
+            editModelID = rightController.modelID;
+        } else if (modelSelected) {
+            print("  Edit Properties.... selectedModelID="+ selectedModelID);
+            editModelID = selectedModelID;
+        } else {
+            print("  Edit Properties.... not holding...");
+        }
+        if (editModelID != -1) {
+            print("  Edit Properties.... about to edit properties...");
+            var propertyName = Window.prompt("Which property would you like to change?", "modelURL");
+            var properties = Models.getModelProperties(editModelID);
+            var oldValue = properties[propertyName];
+            var newValue = Window.prompt("New value for: " + propertyName, oldValue);
+            if (newValue != NULL) {
+                properties[propertyName] = newValue;
+                Models.editModel(editModelID, properties);
+            }
+        }
+        tooltip.show(false);
     }
-});
+}
+Menu.menuItemEvent.connect(handeMenuEvent);
+
 
 
 // handling of inspect.js concurrence
@@ -1107,4 +1142,11 @@ Controller.keyReleaseEvent.connect(function(event) {
         xIsPressed = false;
         somethingChanged = true;
     }
+    // since sometimes our menu shortcut keys don't work, trap our menu items here also and fire the appropriate menu items
+    if (event.text == "`") {
+        handeMenuEvent("Edit Properties...");
+    }
+    if (event.text == "BACKSPACE") {
+        handeMenuEvent("Delete");
+    }
 });
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/interface/src/models/ModelTreeRenderer.cpp b/interface/src/models/ModelTreeRenderer.cpp
index b20bdce8f5..9c4b08fd99 100644
--- a/interface/src/models/ModelTreeRenderer.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/models/ModelTreeRenderer.cpp
@@ -22,6 +22,17 @@ ModelTreeRenderer::ModelTreeRenderer() :
 }
 
 ModelTreeRenderer::~ModelTreeRenderer() {
+    clearModelsCache();
+}
+
+void ModelTreeRenderer::clear() {
+    OctreeRenderer::clear();
+    clearModelsCache();
+}
+
+void ModelTreeRenderer::clearModelsCache() {
+    qDebug() << "ModelTreeRenderer::clearModelsCache()...";
+    
     // delete the models in _knownModelsItemModels
     foreach(Model* model, _knownModelsItemModels) {
         delete model;
@@ -71,24 +82,39 @@ Model* ModelTreeRenderer::getModel(const ModelItem& modelItem) {
     if (modelItem.isKnownID()) {
         if (_knownModelsItemModels.find(modelItem.getID()) != _knownModelsItemModels.end()) {
             model = _knownModelsItemModels[modelItem.getID()];
-        } else {
-        
+            if (QUrl(modelItem.getModelURL()) != model->getURL()) {
+                delete model; // delete the old model...
+                model = NULL;
+                _knownModelsItemModels.remove(modelItem.getID());
+            }
+        }
+
+        // if we don't have a model...        
+        if (!model) {
             // Make sure we only create new models on the thread that owns the ModelTreeRenderer
             if (QThread::currentThread() != thread()) {
                 QMetaObject::invokeMethod(this, "getModel", Qt::BlockingQueuedConnection,
                     Q_RETURN_ARG(Model*, model), Q_ARG(const ModelItem&, modelItem));
                 return model;
             }
-    
+
             model = new Model();
             model->init();
             model->setURL(QUrl(modelItem.getModelURL()));
             _knownModelsItemModels[modelItem.getID()] = model;
         }
+        
     } else {
         if (_unknownModelsItemModels.find(modelItem.getCreatorTokenID()) != _unknownModelsItemModels.end()) {
             model = _unknownModelsItemModels[modelItem.getCreatorTokenID()];
-        } else {
+            if (QUrl(modelItem.getModelURL()) != model->getURL()) {
+                delete model; // delete the old model...
+                model = NULL;
+                _unknownModelsItemModels.remove(modelItem.getID());
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (!model) {
             // Make sure we only create new models on the thread that owns the ModelTreeRenderer
             if (QThread::currentThread() != thread()) {
                 QMetaObject::invokeMethod(this, "getModel", Qt::BlockingQueuedConnection,
diff --git a/interface/src/models/ModelTreeRenderer.h b/interface/src/models/ModelTreeRenderer.h
index 2d418b1a25..b6df71565d 100644
--- a/interface/src/models/ModelTreeRenderer.h
+++ b/interface/src/models/ModelTreeRenderer.h
@@ -51,7 +51,11 @@ public:
 
     virtual const FBXGeometry* getGeometryForModel(const ModelItem& modelItem);
 
+    /// clears the tree
+    virtual void clear();
+
 protected:
+    void clearModelsCache();
     Model* getModel(const ModelItem& modelItem);
     QMap<uint32_t, Model*> _knownModelsItemModels;
     QMap<uint32_t, Model*> _unknownModelsItemModels;
diff --git a/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.h b/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.h
index 18e68e26aa..d61ed3afce 100644
--- a/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.h
+++ b/libraries/octree/src/OctreeRenderer.h
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ public:
     static bool renderOperation(OctreeElement* element, void* extraData);
 
     /// clears the tree
-    void clear();
+    virtual void clear();
 protected:
     Octree* _tree;
     bool _managedTree;