diff --git a/interface/src/Application.cpp b/interface/src/Application.cpp
index 46b2a2243c..0c19d3f5c6 100644
--- a/interface/src/Application.cpp
+++ b/interface/src/Application.cpp
@@ -2577,7 +2577,7 @@ void Application::update(float deltaTime) {
 
     // parse voxel packets
     if (!_enableProcessVoxelsThread) {
-        _voxelReceiver.threadRoutine();
+        _voxelReceiver.process();
     }
     
     //loop through all the other avatars and simulate them...
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/GenericThread.cpp b/libraries/shared/src/GenericThread.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d75e16627c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/GenericThread.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+//
+//  GenericThread.cpp
+//  shared
+//
+//  Created by Brad Hefta-Gaub on 8/12/13.
+//  Copyright (c) 2013 High Fidelity, Inc. All rights reserved.
+//
+//  Generic Threaded or non-threaded processing class
+//
+
+#include "GenericThread.h"
+
+GenericThread::GenericThread() :
+    _stopThread(false),
+    _isThreaded(false) // assume non-threaded, must call initialize()
+{
+}
+
+GenericThread::~GenericThread() {
+    terminate();
+}
+
+void GenericThread::initialize(bool isThreaded) {
+    _isThreaded = isThreaded;
+    if (_isThreaded) {
+        pthread_create(&_thread, NULL, GenericThreadEntry, this);
+    }
+}
+
+void GenericThread::terminate() {
+    if (_isThreaded) {
+        _stopThread = true;
+        pthread_join(_thread, NULL); 
+        _isThreaded = false;
+    }
+}
+
+void* GenericThread::threadRoutine() {
+    while (!_stopThread) {
+    
+        // override this function to do whatever your class actually does, return false to exit thread early
+        if (!process()) {
+            break;
+        }
+        
+        // In non-threaded mode, this will break each time you call it so it's the 
+        // callers responsibility to continuously call this method
+        if (!_isThreaded) {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    if (_isThreaded) {
+        pthread_exit(0); 
+    }
+    return NULL; 
+}
+
+extern "C" void* GenericThreadEntry(void* arg) {
+    GenericThread* genericThread = (GenericThread*)arg;
+    return genericThread->threadRoutine();
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/GenericThread.h b/libraries/shared/src/GenericThread.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e0c372fe00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/GenericThread.h
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+//
+//  GenericThread.h
+//  shared
+//
+//  Created by Brad Hefta-Gaub on 8/12/13.
+//  Copyright (c) 2013 High Fidelity, Inc. All rights reserved.
+//
+//  Generic Threaded or non-threaded processing class.
+//
+
+#ifndef __shared__GenericThread__
+#define __shared__GenericThread__
+
+#include <pthread.h>
+
+class GenericThread {
+public:
+    GenericThread();
+    virtual ~GenericThread();
+
+    // Call to start the thread
+    void initialize(bool isThreaded);
+
+    // override this function to do whatever your class actually does, return false to exit thread early
+    virtual bool process() = 0;
+
+    // Call when you're ready to stop the thread
+    void terminate();
+    
+    // If you're running in non-threaded mode, you must call this regularly
+    void* threadRoutine();
+    
+private:
+    bool        _stopThread;
+    bool        _isThreaded;
+    pthread_t   _thread;
+};
+
+extern "C" void* GenericThreadEntry(void* arg);
+
+#endif // __shared__GenericThread__
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/PacketReceiver.cpp b/libraries/shared/src/PacketReceiver.cpp
index 9bf4764ebb..39542eb21e 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/PacketReceiver.cpp
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/PacketReceiver.cpp
@@ -10,61 +10,15 @@
 
 #include "PacketReceiver.h"
 
-PacketReceiver::PacketReceiver() :
-    _stopThread(false),
-    _isThreaded(false) // assume non-threaded, must call initialize()
-{
-}
-
-PacketReceiver::~PacketReceiver() {
-    terminate();
-}
-
-void PacketReceiver::initialize(bool isThreaded) {
-    _isThreaded = isThreaded;
-    if (_isThreaded) {
-        pthread_create(&_thread, NULL, PacketReceiverThreadEntry, this);
-    }
-}
-
-void PacketReceiver::terminate() {
-    if (_isThreaded) {
-        _stopThread = true;
-        pthread_join(_thread, NULL); 
-        _isThreaded = false;
-    }
-}
-
 void PacketReceiver::queuePacket(sockaddr& senderAddress, unsigned char* packetData, ssize_t packetLength) {
     _packets.push_back(NetworkPacket(senderAddress, packetData, packetLength));
 }
 
-void PacketReceiver::processPacket(sockaddr& senderAddress, unsigned char* packetData, ssize_t packetLength) {
-    // Default implementation does nothing... packet is discarded
-}
-
-void* PacketReceiver::threadRoutine() {
-    while (!_stopThread) {
-        while (_packets.size() > 0) {
-            NetworkPacket& packet = _packets.front();
-            processPacket(packet.getSenderAddress(), packet.getData(), packet.getLength());
-            _packets.erase(_packets.begin());
-        }
-        
-        // In non-threaded mode, this will break each time you call it so it's the 
-        // callers responsibility to continuously call this method
-        if (!_isThreaded) {
-            break;
-        }
+bool PacketReceiver::process() {
+    while (_packets.size() > 0) {
+        NetworkPacket& packet = _packets.front();
+        processPacket(packet.getSenderAddress(), packet.getData(), packet.getLength());
+        _packets.erase(_packets.begin());
     }
-    
-    if (_isThreaded) {
-        pthread_exit(0); 
-    }
-    return NULL; 
+    return true;  // keep running till they terminate us
 }
-
-extern "C" void* PacketReceiverThreadEntry(void* arg) {
-    PacketReceiver* packetReceiver = (PacketReceiver*)arg;
-    return packetReceiver->threadRoutine();
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/libraries/shared/src/PacketReceiver.h b/libraries/shared/src/PacketReceiver.h
index f236b362e6..c4dabb4906 100644
--- a/libraries/shared/src/PacketReceiver.h
+++ b/libraries/shared/src/PacketReceiver.h
@@ -11,32 +11,21 @@
 #ifndef __shared__PacketReceiver__
 #define __shared__PacketReceiver__
 
+#include "GenericThread.h"
 #include "NetworkPacket.h"
 
-class PacketReceiver {
+class PacketReceiver : public GenericThread {
 public:
-    PacketReceiver();
-    virtual ~PacketReceiver();
 
     // Call this when your network receive gets a packet
     void queuePacket(sockaddr& senderAddress, unsigned char*  packetData, ssize_t packetLength);
     
     // implement this to process the incoming packets
-    virtual void processPacket(sockaddr& senderAddress, unsigned char*  packetData, ssize_t packetLength);
+    virtual void processPacket(sockaddr& senderAddress, unsigned char*  packetData, ssize_t packetLength) = 0;
 
-    // Call to start the thread
-    void initialize(bool isThreaded);
-
-    // Call when you're ready to stop the thread
-    void terminate();
-    
-    // If you're running in non-threaded mode, you must call this regularly
-    void* threadRoutine();
+    virtual bool process();
     
 private:
-    bool        _stopThread;
-    bool        _isThreaded;
-    pthread_t   _thread;
     std::vector<NetworkPacket> _packets;
 };