diff --git a/libraries/model-baker/src/model-baker/ParseMaterialMappingTask.cpp b/libraries/model-baker/src/model-baker/ParseMaterialMappingTask.cpp
index 7a4acb595a..b313593be2 100644
--- a/libraries/model-baker/src/model-baker/ParseMaterialMappingTask.cpp
+++ b/libraries/model-baker/src/model-baker/ParseMaterialMappingTask.cpp
@@ -25,35 +25,51 @@ void ParseMaterialMappingTask::run(const baker::BakeContextPointer& context, con
         } else {
             auto mappingKeys = materialMap.keys();
             for (auto mapping : mappingKeys) {
-                auto mappingValue = materialMap[mapping].toObject();
+                auto mappingJSON = materialMap[mapping];
+                if (mappingJSON.isObject()) {
+                    auto mappingValue = mappingJSON.toObject();
 
-                // Old subsurface scattering mapping
-                {
-                    auto scatteringIter = mappingValue.find("scattering");
-                    auto scatteringMapIter = mappingValue.find("scatteringMap");
-                    if (scatteringIter != mappingValue.end() || scatteringMapIter != mappingValue.end()) {
-                        std::shared_ptr<NetworkMaterial> material = std::make_shared<NetworkMaterial>();
+                    // Old subsurface scattering mapping
+                    {
+                        auto scatteringIter = mappingValue.find("scattering");
+                        auto scatteringMapIter = mappingValue.find("scatteringMap");
+                        if (scatteringIter != mappingValue.end() || scatteringMapIter != mappingValue.end()) {
+                            std::shared_ptr<NetworkMaterial> material = std::make_shared<NetworkMaterial>();
 
-                        if (scatteringIter != mappingValue.end()) {
-                            float scattering = (float)scatteringIter.value().toDouble();
-                            material->setScattering(scattering);
+                            if (scatteringIter != mappingValue.end()) {
+                                float scattering = (float)scatteringIter.value().toDouble();
+                                material->setScattering(scattering);
+                            }
+
+                            if (scatteringMapIter != mappingValue.end()) {
+                                QString scatteringMap = scatteringMapIter.value().toString();
+                                material->setScatteringMap(scatteringMap);
+                            }
+
+                            material->setDefaultFallthrough(true);
+
+                            NetworkMaterialResourcePointer materialResource = NetworkMaterialResourcePointer(new NetworkMaterialResource(), [](NetworkMaterialResource* ptr) { ptr->deleteLater(); });
+                            materialResource->moveToThread(qApp->thread());
+                            materialResource->parsedMaterials.names.push_back("scattering");
+                            materialResource->parsedMaterials.networkMaterials["scattering"] = material;
+
+                            materialMapping.push_back(std::pair<std::string, NetworkMaterialResourcePointer>("mat::" + mapping.toStdString(), materialResource));
+                            continue;
                         }
+                    }
 
-                        if (scatteringMapIter != mappingValue.end()) {
-                            QString scatteringMap = scatteringMapIter.value().toString();
-                            material->setScatteringMap(scatteringMap);
-                        }
-
-                        material->setDefaultFallthrough(true);
-
+                    // Material JSON description
+                    {
                         NetworkMaterialResourcePointer materialResource = NetworkMaterialResourcePointer(new NetworkMaterialResource(), [](NetworkMaterialResource* ptr) { ptr->deleteLater(); });
                         materialResource->moveToThread(qApp->thread());
-                        materialResource->parsedMaterials.names.push_back("scattering");
-                        materialResource->parsedMaterials.networkMaterials["scattering"] = material;
-
-                        materialMapping.push_back(std::pair<std::string, NetworkMaterialResourcePointer>("mat::" + mapping.toStdString(), materialResource));
-                        continue;
+                        // TODO: add baseURL to allow FSTs to reference relative files next to them
+                        materialResource->parsedMaterials = NetworkMaterialResource::parseJSONMaterials(QJsonDocument(mappingValue), QUrl());
+                        materialMapping.push_back(std::pair<std::string, NetworkMaterialResourcePointer>(mapping.toStdString(), materialResource));
                     }
+
+                } else if (mappingJSON.isString()) {
+                    auto mappingValue = mappingJSON.toString();
+                    materialMapping.push_back(std::pair<std::string, NetworkMaterialResourcePointer>(mapping.toStdString(), MaterialCache::instance().getMaterial(mappingValue)));
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/libraries/render-utils/src/CauterizedModel.cpp b/libraries/render-utils/src/CauterizedModel.cpp
index 4df933c972..b70925201a 100644
--- a/libraries/render-utils/src/CauterizedModel.cpp
+++ b/libraries/render-utils/src/CauterizedModel.cpp
@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@ void CauterizedModel::createRenderItemSet() {
         _modelMeshRenderItems.clear();
         _modelMeshMaterialNames.clear();
         _modelMeshRenderItemShapes.clear();
-        _priorityMap.clear();
 
         Transform transform;
         transform.setTranslation(_translation);
@@ -98,7 +97,6 @@ void CauterizedModel::createRenderItemSet() {
             }
         }
         _blendshapeOffsetsInitialized = true;
-        applyMaterialMapping();
     } else {
         Model::createRenderItemSet();
     }
diff --git a/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.cpp b/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.cpp
index 7acdd10a8c..c15941b465 100644
--- a/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.cpp
+++ b/libraries/render-utils/src/Model.cpp
@@ -956,6 +956,7 @@ bool Model::addToScene(const render::ScenePointer& scene,
     }
 
     if (somethingAdded) {
+        applyMaterialMapping();
         _addedToScene = true;
         updateRenderItems();
         _needsFixupInScene = false;
@@ -973,6 +974,7 @@ void Model::removeFromScene(const render::ScenePointer& scene, render::Transacti
     _modelMeshRenderItems.clear();
     _modelMeshMaterialNames.clear();
     _modelMeshRenderItemShapes.clear();
+    _priorityMap.clear();
 
     _blendshapeOffsets.clear();
     _blendshapeOffsetsInitialized = false;
@@ -1434,7 +1436,6 @@ void Model::createRenderItemSet() {
     _modelMeshRenderItems.clear();
     _modelMeshMaterialNames.clear();
     _modelMeshRenderItemShapes.clear();
-    _priorityMap.clear();
 
     Transform transform;
     transform.setTranslation(_translation);
@@ -1466,7 +1467,6 @@ void Model::createRenderItemSet() {
         }
     }
     _blendshapeOffsetsInitialized = true;
-    applyMaterialMapping();
 }
 
 bool Model::isRenderable() const {
@@ -1535,14 +1535,12 @@ void Model::applyMaterialMapping() {
         }
 
         auto materialLoaded = [this, networkMaterialResource, shapeIDs, renderItemsKey, primitiveMode, useDualQuaternionSkinning]() {
-            qDebug() << "boop2" << networkMaterialResource->isFailed() << networkMaterialResource->parsedMaterials.names.size();
-            if (networkMaterialResource->isFailed() || networkMaterialResource->parsedMaterials.names.size() > 0) {
+            if (networkMaterialResource->isFailed() || networkMaterialResource->parsedMaterials.names.size() == 0) {
                 return;
             }
             render::Transaction transaction;
             auto networkMaterial = networkMaterialResource->parsedMaterials.networkMaterials[networkMaterialResource->parsedMaterials.names[0]];
             for (auto shapeID : shapeIDs) {
-                qDebug() << "boop3" << shapeID << _modelMeshRenderItemIDs.size();
                 if (shapeID < _modelMeshRenderItemIDs.size()) {
                     auto itemID = _modelMeshRenderItemIDs[shapeID];
                     auto meshIndex = _modelMeshRenderItemShapes[shapeID].meshIndex;
@@ -1559,7 +1557,7 @@ void Model::applyMaterialMapping() {
             }
             AbstractViewStateInterface::instance()->getMain3DScene()->enqueueTransaction(transaction);
         };
-        qDebug() << "boop" << networkMaterialResource->isLoaded();
+
         if (networkMaterialResource->isLoaded()) {
             materialLoaded();
         } else {