diff --git a/data/multibody.bullet b/data/multibody.bullet
index 0dee8f14a..b071e4eb7 100644
Binary files a/data/multibody.bullet and b/data/multibody.bullet differ
diff --git a/data/plane_transparent.mtl b/data/plane_transparent.mtl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6b700a066
--- /dev/null
+++ b/data/plane_transparent.mtl
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+newmtl Material
+  Ns 10.0000
+  Ni 1.5000
+  d 1.0000
+  Tr 0.0000
+  Tf 1.0000 1.0000 1.0000 
+  illum 2
+  Ka 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
+  Kd 0.5880 0.5880 0.5880
+  Ks 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
+  Ke 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
+  map_Kd tex4x4.png
+  
+  
diff --git a/data/plane_transparent.obj b/data/plane_transparent.obj
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b1317066e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/data/plane_transparent.obj
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Blender v2.66 (sub 1) OBJ File: ''
+# www.blender.org
+mtllib plane_transparent.mtl
+o Plane
+v 15.000000 -15.000000 0.000000
+v 15.000000 15.000000 0.000000
+v -15.000000 15.000000 0.000000
+v -15.000000  -15.000000 0.000000
+
+vt 1.000000 0.000000
+vt 1.000000 1.000000
+vt 0.000000 1.000000
+vt 0.000000 0.000000
+
+usemtl Material
+s off
+f 1/1 2/2 3/3
+f 1/1 3/3 4/4
diff --git a/data/plane_transparent.urdf b/data/plane_transparent.urdf
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4054d2948
--- /dev/null
+++ b/data/plane_transparent.urdf
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?xml version="0.0" ?>
+<robot name="plane">
+  <link name="planeLink">
+  <contact>
+      <lateral_friction value="1"/>
+  </contact>
+    <inertial>
+      <origin rpy="0 0 0" xyz="0 0 0"/>
+       <mass value=".0"/>
+       <inertia ixx="0" ixy="0" ixz="0" iyy="0" iyz="0" izz="0"/>
+    </inertial>
+    <visual>
+      <origin rpy="0 0 0" xyz="0 0 0"/>
+      <geometry>
+				<mesh filename="plane_transparent.obj" scale="1 1 1"/>
+      </geometry>
+       <material name="white">
+        <color rgba="1 1 1 0.4"/>
+      </material>
+    </visual>
+    <collision>
+      <origin rpy="0 0 0" xyz="0 0 -5"/>
+      <geometry>
+	 	<box size="30 30 10"/>
+      </geometry>
+    </collision>
+  </link>
+</robot>
+
diff --git a/examples/ExampleBrowser/OpenGLGuiHelper.cpp b/examples/ExampleBrowser/OpenGLGuiHelper.cpp
index 49b717b5a..daeefddc6 100644
--- a/examples/ExampleBrowser/OpenGLGuiHelper.cpp
+++ b/examples/ExampleBrowser/OpenGLGuiHelper.cpp
@@ -292,10 +292,10 @@ int	OpenGLGuiHelper::registerTexture(const unsigned char* texels, int width, int
 	return textureId;
 }
 
-void OpenGLGuiHelper::changeTexture(int textureUniqueId, const unsigned char* texels, int width, int height)
+void OpenGLGuiHelper::changeTexture(int textureUniqueId, const unsigned char* rgbTexels, int width, int height)
 {
 	bool flipPixelsY = true;
-	m_data->m_glApp->m_renderer->updateTexture(textureUniqueId, texels,flipPixelsY);
+	m_data->m_glApp->m_renderer->updateTexture(textureUniqueId, rgbTexels,flipPixelsY);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/examples/OpenGLWindow/GLInstancingRenderer.cpp b/examples/OpenGLWindow/GLInstancingRenderer.cpp
index 92a11f417..c00f41be4 100644
--- a/examples/OpenGLWindow/GLInstancingRenderer.cpp
+++ b/examples/OpenGLWindow/GLInstancingRenderer.cpp
@@ -118,14 +118,14 @@ GLint lineWidthRange[2]={1,1};
 enum
 {
 	eGfxTransparency=1,
+	eGfxHasTexture = 2,
 };
 
 struct b3GraphicsInstance
 {
-	GLuint               m_cube_vao;
-	GLuint               m_index_vbo;
-	GLuint				m_textureIndex;
-
+	GLuint	m_cube_vao;
+	GLuint	m_index_vbo;
+	GLuint	m_textureIndex;
 	int m_numIndices;
 	int m_numVertices;
 
@@ -974,6 +974,7 @@ void    GLInstancingRenderer::replaceTexture(int shapeIndex, int textureId)
 		if (textureId>=0)
 		{
 			gfxObj->m_textureIndex = textureId;
+			gfxObj->m_flags |= eGfxHasTexture;
 
 		}
 	}
@@ -1052,6 +1053,7 @@ int GLInstancingRenderer::registerShape(const float* vertices, int numvertices,
 	if (textureId>=0)
 	{
 		gfxObj->m_textureIndex = textureId;
+		gfxObj->m_flags |= eGfxHasTexture;
 	}
 
 	gfxObj->m_primitiveType = primitiveType;
@@ -2204,7 +2206,7 @@ b3Assert(glGetError() ==GL_NO_ERROR);
 			{
 				glActiveTexture(GL_TEXTURE0);
 				GLuint curBindTexture = 0;
-				if (gfxObj->m_textureIndex>=0)
+				if (gfxObj->m_flags & eGfxHasTexture)
 				{
 					curBindTexture = m_data->m_textureHandles[gfxObj->m_textureIndex].m_glTexture;
 
diff --git a/examples/pybullet/pybullet.c b/examples/pybullet/pybullet.c
index 4cf3eb6ac..aba9c69c2 100644
--- a/examples/pybullet/pybullet.c
+++ b/examples/pybullet/pybullet.c
@@ -4583,7 +4583,7 @@ static PyObject* pybullet_changeTexture(PyObject* self, PyObject* args, PyObject
 		PyObject* item;
 		int i;
 		int numPixels = width*height;
-		unsigned char* pixelBuffer = (char*) malloc (numPixels*3);
+		unsigned char* pixelBuffer = (unsigned char*) malloc (numPixels*3);
 		if (PyList_Check(seqPixels))
 		{
 			for (i=0;i<numPixels*3;i++)
@@ -4600,7 +4600,7 @@ static PyObject* pybullet_changeTexture(PyObject* self, PyObject* args, PyObject
 			}
 		}		
 
-		commandHandle = b3CreateChangeTextureCommandInit(sm,textureUniqueId, width,height,pixelBuffer);
+		commandHandle = b3CreateChangeTextureCommandInit(sm,textureUniqueId, width,height,(const char*) pixelBuffer);
 		free(pixelBuffer);
 		statusHandle = b3SubmitClientCommandAndWaitStatus(sm, commandHandle);
 		statusType = b3GetStatusType(statusHandle);
@@ -4651,11 +4651,6 @@ static PyObject* pybullet_loadTexture(PyObject* self, PyObject* args, PyObject*
 			item = PyInt_FromLong(b3GetStatusTextureUniqueId(statusHandle));
 			return item;
 		}
-		else
-		{
-			PyErr_SetString(SpamError, "Error loading texture");
-			return NULL;
-		}
 	}
 
 	PyErr_SetString(SpamError, "Error loading texture");
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index d146cecc6..d487f86e9 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -386,6 +386,7 @@ if _platform == "linux" or _platform == "linux2":
     sources = sources + ["examples/ThirdPartyLibs/enet/unix.c"]\
     +["examples/OpenGLWindow/X11OpenGLWindow.cpp"]\
     +["examples/ThirdPartyLibs/Glew/glew.c"]
+    include_dirs += ["examples/ThirdPartyLibs/optionalX11"]
 elif _platform == "win32":
     print("win32!")
     libraries = ['Ws2_32','Winmm','User32','Opengl32','kernel32','glu32','Gdi32','Comdlg32']
@@ -419,7 +420,7 @@ else:
 
 setup(
 	name = 'pybullet',
-	version='1.1.8',
+	version='1.2.1',
 	description='Official Python Interface for the Bullet Physics SDK Robotics Simulator',
 	long_description='pybullet is an easy to use Python module for physics simulation, robotics and machine learning based on the Bullet Physics SDK. With pybullet you can load articulated bodies from URDF, SDF and other file formats. pybullet provides forward dynamics simulation, inverse dynamics computation, forward and inverse kinematics and collision detection and ray intersection queries. Aside from physics simulation, pybullet supports to rendering, with a CPU renderer and OpenGL visualization and support for virtual reality headsets.',
 	url='https://github.com/bulletphysics/bullet3',