diff --git a/include/osg/ShapeDrawable b/include/osg/ShapeDrawable
index 26ae13a50..fb1f821d9 100644
--- a/include/osg/ShapeDrawable
+++ b/include/osg/ShapeDrawable
@@ -123,12 +123,19 @@ class SG_EXPORT ShapeDrawable : public Drawable
         virtual const char* libraryName() const { return "osg"; }
         virtual const char* className() const { return "ShapeDrawable"; }
 
+        /** set the color of the shape.*/
+        void setColor(const Vec4& color) { _color = color; }
+        
+        /** get the color of the shape.*/
+        const Vec4& getColor() const { return _color; }
 
     	void setTessellationHints(TessellationHints* hints) { _tessellationHints = hints; }
+        
     	TessellationHints* getTessellationHints() { return _tessellationHints.get(); }
     	const TessellationHints* getTessellationHints() const { return _tessellationHints.get(); }
 
 
+
         /** draw ShapeDrawable directly ignoring an OpenGL display list which could be attached.
           * This is the internal draw method which does the drawing itself,
           * and is the method to override when deriving from ShapeDrawable for user-drawn objects.
@@ -158,6 +165,8 @@ class SG_EXPORT ShapeDrawable : public Drawable
        
         virtual bool computeBound() const;
 	
+        Vec4 _color;
+
 	ref_ptr<TessellationHints> _tessellationHints;
 
 };
diff --git a/src/osg/ShapeDrawable.cpp b/src/osg/ShapeDrawable.cpp
index c91779801..8e850704f 100644
--- a/src/osg/ShapeDrawable.cpp
+++ b/src/osg/ShapeDrawable.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 */
 #include <osg/ShapeDrawable>
 #include <osg/GL>
+#include <osg/Notify>
 
 using namespace osg;
 
@@ -26,7 +27,14 @@ class DrawShapeVisitor : public ConstShapeVisitor
     
     	DrawShapeVisitor(State& state,const TessellationHints* hints):
 	    _state(state),
-	    _hints(hints) {}
+	    _hints(hints)
+        {
+            if (hints)
+            {
+                notify(NOTICE)<<"Warning: TessellationHints ignored in present osg::ShapeDrawable implementation."<<std::endl;
+            }
+        
+        }
     
     	virtual void apply(const Sphere&);
     	virtual void apply(const Box&);
@@ -1249,17 +1257,21 @@ void PrimitiveShapeVisitor::apply(const CompositeShape& group)
 //
 
 
-ShapeDrawable::ShapeDrawable()
+ShapeDrawable::ShapeDrawable():
+    _color(1.0f,1.0f,1.0f,1.0f)
 {
 }
 
-ShapeDrawable::ShapeDrawable(Shape* shape)
+ShapeDrawable::ShapeDrawable(Shape* shape):
+  _color(1.0f,1.0f,1.0f,1.0f)
 {
     setShape(shape);
 }
 
 ShapeDrawable::ShapeDrawable(const ShapeDrawable& pg,const CopyOp& copyop):
-    Drawable(pg,copyop)
+    Drawable(pg,copyop),
+    _color(pg._color),
+    _tessellationHints(pg._tessellationHints)
 {
 }
 
@@ -1271,7 +1283,10 @@ void ShapeDrawable::drawImplementation(State& state) const
 {
     if (_shape.valid())
     {
+        glColor4fv(_color.ptr());
+    
     	DrawShapeVisitor dsv(state,_tessellationHints.get());
+        
 	_shape->accept(dsv);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/osgPlugins/osg/ShapeDrawable.cpp b/src/osgPlugins/osg/ShapeDrawable.cpp
index a4fbe4c6f..c35089fcd 100644
--- a/src/osgPlugins/osg/ShapeDrawable.cpp
+++ b/src/osgPlugins/osg/ShapeDrawable.cpp
@@ -11,41 +11,55 @@ using namespace osgDB;
 bool ShapeDrawable_readLocalData(Object& obj, Input& fr);
 bool ShapeDrawable_writeLocalData(const Object& obj, Output& fw);
 
-//register the read and write functions with the osgDB::Registry.
-RegisterDotOsgWrapperProxy g_ShapeDrawableFuncProxy
-(
-    new osg::ShapeDrawable,
-    "ShapeDrawable",
-    "Object Drawable ShapeDrawable",
-    0,
-    0,
-    DotOsgWrapper::READ_AND_WRITE
-);
-
+// //register the read and write functions with the osgDB::Registry.
 // RegisterDotOsgWrapperProxy g_ShapeDrawableFuncProxy
 // (
 //     new osg::ShapeDrawable,
 //     "ShapeDrawable",
 //     "Object Drawable ShapeDrawable",
-//     &ShapeDrawable_readLocalData,
-//     &ShapeDrawable_writeLocalData,
+//     0,
+//     0,
 //     DotOsgWrapper::READ_AND_WRITE
 // );
-// 
-// bool ShapeDrawable_readLocalData(Object& obj, Input& fr)
-// {
-//     bool iteratorAdvanced = false;
-// 
-//     ShapeDrawable& geom = static_cast<ShapeDrawable&>(obj);
-// 
-//     bool matchedFirst = false;
-// 
-//     return iteratorAdvanced;
-// }
-// 
-// bool ShapeDrawable_writeLocalData(const Object& obj, Output& fw)
-// {
-//     const ShapeDrawable& geom = static_cast<const ShapeDrawable&>(obj);
-// 
-//     return true;
-// }
+
+RegisterDotOsgWrapperProxy g_ShapeDrawableFuncProxy
+(
+    new osg::ShapeDrawable,
+    "ShapeDrawable",
+    "Object Drawable ShapeDrawable",
+    &ShapeDrawable_readLocalData,
+    &ShapeDrawable_writeLocalData,
+    DotOsgWrapper::READ_AND_WRITE
+);
+
+bool ShapeDrawable_readLocalData(Object& obj, Input& fr)
+{
+    bool iteratorAdvanced = false;
+
+    ShapeDrawable& geom = static_cast<ShapeDrawable&>(obj);
+
+    if (fr.matchSequence("color %f %f %f %f"))
+    {
+        osg::Vec4 color;
+        fr[1].getFloat(color[0]);
+        fr[2].getFloat(color[1]);
+        fr[3].getFloat(color[2]);
+        fr[4].getFloat(color[3]);
+    
+        geom.setColor(color);
+        
+        fr+=5;
+        iteratorAdvanced = true;
+    }
+
+    return iteratorAdvanced;
+}
+
+bool ShapeDrawable_writeLocalData(const Object& obj, Output& fw)
+{
+    const ShapeDrawable& geom = static_cast<const ShapeDrawable&>(obj);
+
+    fw.indent() << "color " << geom.getColor() << std::endl;
+
+    return true;
+}