diff --git a/src/osgParticle/ExplosionDebriEffect.cpp b/src/osgParticle/ExplosionDebriEffect.cpp
index eda46f5ac..a2273624c 100644
--- a/src/osgParticle/ExplosionDebriEffect.cpp
+++ b/src/osgParticle/ExplosionDebriEffect.cpp
@@ -55,8 +55,6 @@ void ExplosionDebriEffect::setDefaults()
     
     // set up unit particle.
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setLifeTime(1.0+0.6*_scale);   
-    _defaultParticleTemplate.setRadius(1.0f); 
-    _defaultParticleTemplate.setMass(osg::PI*4.0f/3.0f);
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setSizeRange(osgParticle::rangef(0.75f, 3.0f));
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setAlphaRange(osgParticle::rangef(0.0f, 1.0f));
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setColorRange(osgParticle::rangev4(
@@ -93,9 +91,8 @@ void ExplosionDebriEffect::setUpEmitterAndProgram()
         ptemplate.setColorRange(_defaultParticleTemplate.getColorRange());
 
         // these are physical properties of the particle
-        float r = _defaultParticleTemplate.getRadius()*radius;
-        ptemplate.setRadius(r); 
-        ptemplate.setMass(density*r*r*r*_defaultParticleTemplate.getMass());
+        ptemplate.setRadius(radius);
+        ptemplate.setMass(density*radius*radius*radius*osg::PI*4.0f/3.0f);
 
     }
 
diff --git a/src/osgParticle/ExplosionEffect.cpp b/src/osgParticle/ExplosionEffect.cpp
index c0e473274..e0f06a4e9 100644
--- a/src/osgParticle/ExplosionEffect.cpp
+++ b/src/osgParticle/ExplosionEffect.cpp
@@ -54,13 +54,11 @@ void ExplosionEffect::setDefaults()
 
     // set up unit particle.
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setLifeTime(0.5+0.1*_scale);
-    _defaultParticleTemplate.setRadius(1.0f);
-    _defaultParticleTemplate.setMass(osg::PI*4.0f/3.0f);
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setSizeRange(osgParticle::rangef(0.75f, 3.0f));
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setAlphaRange(osgParticle::rangef(0.1f, 1.0f));
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setColorRange(osgParticle::rangev4(
-        osg::Vec4(1.0f, 0.8f, 0.2f, 1.0f), 
-        osg::Vec4(1.0f, 0.4f, 0.1f, 0.0f)));
+                                            osg::Vec4(1.0f, 0.8f, 0.2f, 1.0f), 
+                                            osg::Vec4(1.0f, 0.4f, 0.1f, 0.0f)));
 
 }
 
@@ -92,9 +90,8 @@ void ExplosionEffect::setUpEmitterAndProgram()
         ptemplate.setColorRange(_defaultParticleTemplate.getColorRange());
 
         // these are physical properties of the particle
-        float r = _defaultParticleTemplate.getRadius()*radius;
-        ptemplate.setRadius(r); 
-        ptemplate.setMass(density*r*r*r*_defaultParticleTemplate.getMass());
+        ptemplate.setRadius(radius);
+        ptemplate.setMass(density*radius*radius*radius*osg::PI*4.0f/3.0f);
 
     } 
 
diff --git a/src/osgParticle/FireEffect.cpp b/src/osgParticle/FireEffect.cpp
index 9b49df35e..2c1c35d78 100644
--- a/src/osgParticle/FireEffect.cpp
+++ b/src/osgParticle/FireEffect.cpp
@@ -54,8 +54,6 @@ void FireEffect::setDefaults()
 
     // set up unit particle.
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setLifeTime(0.5+0.1*_scale);
-    _defaultParticleTemplate.setRadius(1.0f);
-    _defaultParticleTemplate.setMass(osg::PI*4.0f/3.0f);
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setSizeRange(osgParticle::rangef(0.75f, 3.0f));
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setAlphaRange(osgParticle::rangef(0.1f, 1.0f));
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setColorRange(osgParticle::rangev4(
@@ -91,9 +89,9 @@ void FireEffect::setUpEmitterAndProgram()
         ptemplate.setColorRange(_defaultParticleTemplate.getColorRange());
 
         // these are physical properties of the particle
-        float r = _defaultParticleTemplate.getRadius()*radius;
-        ptemplate.setRadius(r); 
-        ptemplate.setMass(density*r*r*r*_defaultParticleTemplate.getMass());
+        // these are physical properties of the particle
+        ptemplate.setRadius(radius);
+        ptemplate.setMass(density*radius*radius*radius*osg::PI*4.0f/3.0f);
 
     }
 
diff --git a/src/osgParticle/SmokeEffect.cpp b/src/osgParticle/SmokeEffect.cpp
index 7de9b2df8..1074582ae 100644
--- a/src/osgParticle/SmokeEffect.cpp
+++ b/src/osgParticle/SmokeEffect.cpp
@@ -50,8 +50,6 @@ void SmokeEffect::setDefaults()
 
     // set up unit particle.
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setLifeTime(5.0*_scale);
-    _defaultParticleTemplate.setRadius(1.0f);
-    _defaultParticleTemplate.setMass(osg::PI*4.0f/3.0f);
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setSizeRange(osgParticle::rangef(0.75f, 3.0f));
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setAlphaRange(osgParticle::rangef(0.1f, 1.0f));
     _defaultParticleTemplate.setColorRange(osgParticle::rangev4(
@@ -88,9 +86,8 @@ void SmokeEffect::setUpEmitterAndProgram()
         ptemplate.setColorRange(_defaultParticleTemplate.getColorRange());
 
         // these are physical properties of the particle
-        float r = _defaultParticleTemplate.getRadius()*radius;
-        ptemplate.setRadius(r); 
-        ptemplate.setMass(density*r*r*r*_defaultParticleTemplate.getMass());
+        ptemplate.setRadius(radius);
+        ptemplate.setMass(density*radius*radius*radius*osg::PI*4.0f/3.0f);
 
     }
 
diff --git a/src/osgPlugins/osgParticle/IO_ParticleEffect.cpp b/src/osgPlugins/osgParticle/IO_ParticleEffect.cpp
index 57a453fc4..4168e597c 100644
--- a/src/osgPlugins/osgParticle/IO_ParticleEffect.cpp
+++ b/src/osgPlugins/osgParticle/IO_ParticleEffect.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@ bool ParticleEffect_readLocalData(osg::Object& object, osgDB::Input& fr)
     osgParticle::ParticleEffect& effect = static_cast<osgParticle::ParticleEffect&>(object);
     bool itrAdvanced = false;
 
+    if (fr.matchSequence("position %s"))
+    {
+        effect.setTextureFileName(fr[1].getStr());
+        fr += 2;
+        itrAdvanced = true;
+    }
+
     if (fr.matchSequence("position %f %f %f"))
     {
         osg::Vec3 position;
@@ -77,16 +84,59 @@ bool ParticleEffect_readLocalData(osg::Object& object, osgDB::Input& fr)
         itrAdvanced = true;
     }
 
+    osgParticle::Particle particle = effect.getDefaultParticleTemplate();
+    bool particleSet = false;
+
     if (fr.matchSequence("particleDuration %f"))
     {
         float particleDuration;
         fr[1].getFloat(particleDuration);
-        effect.setParticleDuration(particleDuration);
-        
+        particle.setLifeTime(particleDuration);
+        particleSet = true;
         fr += 2;
         itrAdvanced = true;
     }
-
+    
+    if (fr[0].matchWord("particleSizeRange"))
+    {
+        osgParticle::rangef r;
+        if (fr[1].getFloat(r.minimum) && fr[2].getFloat(r.maximum))
+        {
+            particle.setSizeRange(r);
+            particleSet = true;
+            fr += 3;
+            itrAdvanced = true;
+        }
+    }
+    if (fr[0].matchWord("particleAlphaRange"))
+    {
+        osgParticle::rangef r;
+        if (fr[1].getFloat(r.minimum) && fr[2].getFloat(r.maximum))
+        {
+            particle.setAlphaRange(r);
+            particleSet = true;
+            fr += 3;
+            itrAdvanced = true;
+        }
+    }
+    if (fr[0].matchWord("particleColorRange"))
+    {
+        osgParticle::rangev4 r;
+        if (fr[1].getFloat(r.minimum.x()) && fr[2].getFloat(r.minimum.y()) && fr[3].getFloat(r.minimum.z()) && fr[4].getFloat(r.minimum.w()) &&
+            fr[5].getFloat(r.maximum.x()) && fr[6].getFloat(r.maximum.y()) && fr[7].getFloat(r.maximum.z()) && fr[8].getFloat(r.maximum.w()))
+        {
+            particle.setColorRange(r);
+            particleSet = true;
+            fr += 9;
+            itrAdvanced = true;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    if (particleSet)
+    {
+        effect.setDefaultParticleTemplate(particle);
+    }
+    
 
     if (fr.matchSequence("wind %f %f %f"))
     {
@@ -136,12 +186,25 @@ bool ParticleEffect_writeLocalData(const osg::Object& object, osgDB::Output& fw)
 {
     const osgParticle::ParticleEffect& effect = static_cast<const osgParticle::ParticleEffect&>(object);
     
+    fw.indent()<<"textFileName "<<effect.getTextureFileName()<<std::endl;
     fw.indent()<<"position "<<effect.getPosition()<<std::endl;
     fw.indent()<<"scale "<<effect.getScale()<<std::endl;
     fw.indent()<<"intensity "<<effect.getIntensity()<<std::endl;
     fw.indent()<<"startTime "<<effect.getStartTime()<<std::endl;
     fw.indent()<<"emitterDuration "<<effect.getEmitterDuration()<<std::endl;
     fw.indent()<<"particleDuration "<<effect.getParticleDuration()<<std::endl;
+
+    osgParticle::rangef rf = effect.getDefaultParticleTemplate().getSizeRange();
+    fw.indent() << "particleSizeRange " << rf.minimum << " " << rf.maximum << std::endl;
+
+    rf = effect.getDefaultParticleTemplate().getAlphaRange();
+    fw.indent() << "particleAlphaRange " << rf.minimum << " " << rf.maximum << std::endl;
+
+    osgParticle::rangev4 rv4 = effect.getDefaultParticleTemplate().getColorRange();
+    fw.indent() << "particleColorRange ";
+    fw << rv4.minimum.x() << " " << rv4.minimum.y() << " " << rv4.minimum.z() << " " << rv4.minimum.w() << " ";
+    fw << rv4.maximum.x() << " " << rv4.maximum.y() << " " << rv4.maximum.z() << " " << rv4.maximum.w() << std::endl;
+
     fw.indent()<<"wind "<<effect.getWind()<<std::endl;
 
     fw.indent()<<"useLocalParticleSystem ";