diff --git a/include/osg/Drawable b/include/osg/Drawable
index e7bff0823..99f5d463f 100644
--- a/include/osg/Drawable
+++ b/include/osg/Drawable
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include <osg/StateSet>
 #include <osg/State>
 #include <osg/Types>
+#include <osg/Vec2>
 
 #include <vector>
 #include <map>
@@ -75,7 +76,9 @@ class SG_EXPORT Drawable : public Object
         void dirtyDisplayList();
         
         
-        
+        /** Dirty the bounding box, forcing a computeBound() on the next call
+          * to getBound(). Should be called in the internal geometry of the Drawable
+          * is modified.*/        
         inline void dirtyBound() { _bbox_computed = false; }
 
         /** get bounding box of geoset. 
@@ -124,7 +127,9 @@ class SG_EXPORT Drawable : public Object
         virtual bool getStats(Statistics&) { return false; }
         
 
-        enum AttributeBitMask
+        typedef uint AttributeBitMask;
+
+        enum AttributeBitMaskValues
         {
             COORDS              = 0x1,
             NORMALS             = 0x2,
@@ -138,14 +143,20 @@ class SG_EXPORT Drawable : public Object
         
         struct AttributeUpdateFunctor
         {
-            virtual bool apply(AttributeBitMask abm,Vec2* begin,Vec2* end) { return false; }
-            virtual bool apply(AttributeBitMask abm,Vec3* begin,Vec3* end) { return false; }
-            virtual bool apply(AttributeBitMask abm,Vec4* begin,Vec4* end) { return false; }
+            inline bool apply(AttributeBitMask abm,Vec2& vec) { return apply(abm,&vec,(&vec)+1); }
+            inline bool apply(AttributeBitMask abm,Vec3& vec) { return apply(abm,&vec,(&vec)+1); }
+            inline bool apply(AttributeBitMask abm,Vec4& vec) { return apply(abm,&vec,(&vec)+1); }
+
+            virtual bool apply(AttributeBitMask,Vec2*,Vec2*) { return false; }
+            virtual bool apply(AttributeBitMask,Vec3*,Vec3*) { return false; }
+            virtual bool apply(AttributeBitMask,Vec4*,Vec4*) { return false; }
         };
 
-        virtual bool suppportsAttributeUpdate(AttributeBitMask) { return false; }
+        /** return the attributes supported by applyAttrbuteUpdate() as an AttributeBitMask.*/
+        virtual AttributeBitMask suppportsAttributeUpdate() const { return (AttributeBitMask)0; }
 
-        virtual bool applyAttributeUpdate(AttributeBitMask,AttributeUpdateFunctor&) { return false; }
+        /** return the attributes successully applied in applyAttributeUpdate.*/
+        virtual AttributeBitMask applyAttributeUpdate(AttributeBitMask,AttributeUpdateFunctor&) { return (AttributeBitMask)0; }
         
 
     protected:
diff --git a/include/osg/GeoSet b/include/osg/GeoSet
index 5a5d18b65..0b0b91f23 100644
--- a/include/osg/GeoSet
+++ b/include/osg/GeoSet
@@ -288,6 +288,14 @@ class SG_EXPORT GeoSet : public Drawable
 
         const bool check() const;
 
+
+        /** return the attributes supported by applyAttrbuteUpdate() as an AttributeBitMask.*/
+        virtual AttributeBitMask suppportsAttributeUpdate() const;
+
+        /** return the attributes successully applied in applyAttributeUpdate.*/
+        virtual AttributeBitMask applyAttributeUpdate(AttributeBitMask abm,AttributeUpdateFunctor& auf);
+
+
     protected:
 
         GeoSet(const GeoSet&):Drawable() {}
diff --git a/include/osg/Vec2 b/include/osg/Vec2
index bfbd5c796..adf1c9638 100644
--- a/include/osg/Vec2
+++ b/include/osg/Vec2
@@ -32,9 +32,11 @@ class Vec2
 
         float _v[2];
 
-        const bool operator == (const Vec2& v) const { return _v[0]==v._v[0] && _v[1]==v._v[1]; }
+        inline const bool operator == (const Vec2& v) const { return _v[0]==v._v[0] && _v[1]==v._v[1]; }
 
-	const bool operator <  (const Vec2& v) const
+        inline const bool operator != (const Vec2& v) const { return _v[0]!=v._v[0] || _v[1]!=v._v[1]; }
+
+	inline const bool operator <  (const Vec2& v) const
         {
             if (_v[0]<v._v[0]) return true;
             else if (_v[0]>v._v[0]) return false;
diff --git a/include/osg/Vec3 b/include/osg/Vec3
index bdb7032a2..c08f053ce 100644
--- a/include/osg/Vec3
+++ b/include/osg/Vec3
@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ class Vec3
 
 	inline const bool operator == (const Vec3& v) const { return _v[0]==v._v[0] && _v[1]==v._v[1] && _v[2]==v._v[2]; }
         
+        inline const bool operator != (const Vec3& v) const { return _v[0]!=v._v[0] || _v[1]!=v._v[1] || _v[2]!=v._v[2]; }
+
 	inline const bool operator <  (const Vec3& v) const
         {
             if (_v[0]<v._v[0]) return true;
diff --git a/include/osg/Vec4 b/include/osg/Vec4
index ecce971d8..2bd0b4735 100644
--- a/include/osg/Vec4
+++ b/include/osg/Vec4
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ class Vec4
 
 	inline const bool operator == (const Vec4& v) const { return _v[0]==v._v[0] && _v[1]==v._v[1] && _v[2]==v._v[2] && _v[3]==v._v[3]; }
 
+	inline const bool operator != (const Vec4& v) const { return _v[0]!=v._v[0] || _v[1]!=v._v[1] || _v[2]!=v._v[2] || _v[3]!=v._v[3]; }
+
 	inline const bool operator <  (const Vec4& v) const
         {
             if (_v[0]<v._v[0]) return true;