diff --git a/examples/voxels.js b/examples/voxels.js
index e110f15260..9627b40701 100644
--- a/examples/voxels.js
+++ b/examples/voxels.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ function mousePressEvent(event) {
         }
     }
 
-    // if the PolyVox entity is empty, we can't pick against its voxel.  try picking against its
+    // if the PolyVox entity is empty, we can't pick against its "on" voxels.  try picking against its
     // bounding box, instead.
     intersection = Entities.findRayIntersection(pickRay, false); // bounding box picking
     if (intersection.intersects) {
diff --git a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem.cpp b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem.cpp
index 4f21fec4d3..ca049e45b1 100644
--- a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem.cpp
+++ b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem.cpp
@@ -331,6 +331,144 @@ void RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem::setSphere(glm::vec3 centerWorldCoords, float r
     setSphereInVolume(glm::vec3(centerVoxelCoords), radiusVoxelCoords, toValue);
 }
 
+void RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem::getModel() {
+    // A mesh object to hold the result of surface extraction
+    PolyVox::SurfaceMesh<PolyVox::PositionMaterialNormal> polyVoxMesh;
+
+    switch (_voxelSurfaceStyle) {
+        case PolyVoxEntityItem::SURFACE_MARCHING_CUBES: {
+            PolyVox::MarchingCubesSurfaceExtractor<PolyVox::SimpleVolume<uint8_t>> surfaceExtractor
+                (_volData, _volData->getEnclosingRegion(), &polyVoxMesh);
+            surfaceExtractor.execute();
+            break;
+        }
+        case PolyVoxEntityItem::SURFACE_EDGED_CUBIC:
+        case PolyVoxEntityItem::SURFACE_CUBIC: {
+            PolyVox::CubicSurfaceExtractorWithNormals<PolyVox::SimpleVolume<uint8_t>> surfaceExtractor
+                (_volData, _volData->getEnclosingRegion(), &polyVoxMesh);
+            surfaceExtractor.execute();
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // convert PolyVox mesh to a Sam mesh
+    auto mesh = _modelGeometry.getMesh();
+
+    const std::vector<uint32_t>& vecIndices = polyVoxMesh.getIndices();
+    auto indexBuffer = std::make_shared<gpu::Buffer>(vecIndices.size() * sizeof(uint32_t),
+                                                     (gpu::Byte*)vecIndices.data());
+    auto indexBufferPtr = gpu::BufferPointer(indexBuffer);
+    auto indexBufferView = new gpu::BufferView(indexBufferPtr, gpu::Element(gpu::SCALAR, gpu::UINT32, gpu::RAW));
+    mesh->setIndexBuffer(*indexBufferView);
+
+
+    const std::vector<PolyVox::PositionMaterialNormal>& vecVertices = polyVoxMesh.getVertices();
+    auto vertexBuffer = std::make_shared<gpu::Buffer>(vecVertices.size() * sizeof(PolyVox::PositionMaterialNormal),
+                                                      (gpu::Byte*)vecVertices.data());
+    auto vertexBufferPtr = gpu::BufferPointer(vertexBuffer);
+    auto vertexBufferView = new gpu::BufferView(vertexBufferPtr,
+                                                0,
+                                                vertexBufferPtr->getSize() - sizeof(float) * 3,
+                                                sizeof(PolyVox::PositionMaterialNormal),
+                                                gpu::Element(gpu::VEC3, gpu::FLOAT, gpu::RAW));
+    mesh->setVertexBuffer(*vertexBufferView);
+    mesh->addAttribute(gpu::Stream::NORMAL,
+                       gpu::BufferView(vertexBufferPtr,
+                                       sizeof(float) * 3,
+                                       vertexBufferPtr->getSize() - sizeof(float) * 3,
+                                       sizeof(PolyVox::PositionMaterialNormal),
+                                       gpu::Element(gpu::VEC3, gpu::FLOAT, gpu::RAW)));
+
+
+
+    // auto normalAttrib = mesh->getAttributeBuffer(gpu::Stream::NORMAL);
+    // for (auto normal = normalAttrib.begin<glm::vec3>(); normal != normalAttrib.end<glm::vec3>(); normal++) {
+    //     (*normal) = -(*normal);
+    // }
+
+
+    // mesh->addAttribute(gpu::Stream::TEXCOORD,
+    //                    gpu::BufferView(vertexBufferPtr,
+    //                                    sizeof(float) * 2,
+    //                                    vertexBufferPtr->getSize() - sizeof(float) * 2,
+    //                                    sizeof(PolyVox::PositionMaterialNormal),
+    //                                    gpu::Element(gpu::VEC2, gpu::FLOAT, gpu::RAW)));
+
+
+
+    #ifdef WANT_DEBUG
+    qDebug() << "---- vecIndices.size() =" << vecIndices.size();
+    qDebug() << "---- vecVertices.size() =" << vecVertices.size();
+    #endif
+
+    _needsModelReload = false;
+}
+
+bool RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem::addToScene(EntityItemPointer self,
+                                             std::shared_ptr<render::Scene> scene,
+                                             render::PendingChanges& pendingChanges) {
+    _myItem = scene->allocateID();
+
+    std::shared_ptr<RenderableEntityItemProxy> renderData =
+        RenderableEntityItemProxy::Pointer(new RenderableEntityItemProxy(self));
+    // render::PayloadPointer renderPayload =
+    std::shared_ptr<render::Item::PayloadInterface> renderPayload =
+        render::PayloadPointer(new RenderableEntityItemProxy::Payload(renderData));
+
+    pendingChanges.resetItem(_myItem, renderPayload);
+
+    return true;
+}
+
+void RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem::removeFromScene(EntityItemPointer self,
+                                                  std::shared_ptr<render::Scene> scene,
+                                                  render::PendingChanges& pendingChanges) {
+    pendingChanges.removeItem(_myItem);
+}
+
+
+
+void RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem::render(RenderArgs* args) {
+    PerformanceTimer perfTimer("RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem::render");
+    assert(getType() == EntityTypes::PolyVox);
+
+    if (_needsModelReload) {
+        getModel();
+    }
+
+    Transform transform(voxelToWorldMatrix());
+
+    auto mesh = _modelGeometry.getMesh();
+    Q_ASSERT(args->_batch);
+    gpu::Batch& batch = *args->_batch;
+    DependencyManager::get<DeferredLightingEffect>()->bindSimpleProgram(batch, true);
+    batch.setModelTransform(transform);
+    batch.setInputFormat(mesh->getVertexFormat());
+    batch.setInputBuffer(gpu::Stream::POSITION, mesh->getVertexBuffer());
+    batch.setInputBuffer(gpu::Stream::NORMAL,
+                         mesh->getVertexBuffer()._buffer,
+                         sizeof(float) * 3,
+                         mesh->getVertexBuffer()._stride);
+    batch.setIndexBuffer(gpu::UINT32, mesh->getIndexBuffer()._buffer, 0);
+    batch.drawIndexed(gpu::TRIANGLES, mesh->getNumIndices(), 0);
+
+    if (!_xTextureURL.isEmpty() && !_xTexture) {
+        _xTexture = DependencyManager::get<TextureCache>()->getTexture(_xTextureURL);
+    }
+    if (!_yTextureURL.isEmpty() && !_yTexture) {
+        _yTexture = DependencyManager::get<TextureCache>()->getTexture(_yTextureURL);
+    }
+    if (!_zTextureURL.isEmpty() && !_zTexture) {
+        _zTexture = DependencyManager::get<TextureCache>()->getTexture(_zTextureURL);
+    }
+
+    if (_xTexture) {
+        batch.setResourceTexture(0, _xTexture->getGPUTexture());
+    }
+
+    RenderableDebugableEntityItem::render(this, args);
+}
+
 class RaycastFunctor
 {
 public:
diff --git a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem.h b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem.h
index d495900ce9..40925cb765 100644
--- a/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem.h
+++ b/libraries/entities-renderer/src/RenderablePolyVoxEntityItem.h
@@ -89,6 +89,14 @@ public:
 
     virtual void setVoxelInVolume(glm::vec3 position, uint8_t toValue);
 
+    virtual bool addToScene(EntityItemPointer self,
+                            std::shared_ptr<render::Scene> scene,
+                            render::PendingChanges& pendingChanges);
+    virtual void removeFromScene(EntityItemPointer self,
+                                 std::shared_ptr<render::Scene> scene,
+                                 render::PendingChanges& pendingChanges);
+
+
     virtual void setXTextureURL(QString xTextureURL);
     virtual void setYTextureURL(QString yTextureURL);
     virtual void setZTextureURL(QString zTextureURL);
@@ -104,6 +112,8 @@ protected:
     virtual void updateVoxelSurfaceStyle(PolyVoxSurfaceStyle voxelSurfaceStyle);
 
 private:
+    render::ItemID _myItem;
+
     // The PolyVoxEntityItem class has _voxelData which contains dimensions and compressed voxel data.  The dimensions
     // may not match _voxelVolumeSize.