diff --git a/OpenSim/Region/Framework/Scenes/SceneObjectGroup.cs b/OpenSim/Region/Framework/Scenes/SceneObjectGroup.cs
index a60ae83f6f..37ab581e81 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Region/Framework/Scenes/SceneObjectGroup.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Region/Framework/Scenes/SceneObjectGroup.cs
@@ -2967,10 +2967,10 @@ namespace OpenSim.Region.Framework.Scenes
                         {
                             if (part.Shape.SculptEntry && part.Shape.SculptTexture != UUID.Zero)
                             {
-                                // check if a previously decoded sculpt map has been cached
-                                if (File.Exists(System.IO.Path.Combine("j2kDecodeCache", "smap_" + part.Shape.SculptTexture.ToString())))
-                                    part.SculptTextureCallback(part.Shape.SculptTexture, null);
-                                else
+                                //// check if a previously decoded sculpt map has been cached
+                                //if (File.Exists(System.IO.Path.Combine("j2kDecodeCache", "smap_" + part.Shape.SculptTexture.ToString())))
+                                //    part.SculptTextureCallback(part.Shape.SculptTexture, null);
+                                //else
                                     m_scene.AssetService.Get(
                                         part.Shape.SculptTexture.ToString(), part, AssetReceived);
                             }
diff --git a/OpenSim/Region/Framework/Scenes/SceneObjectPart.cs b/OpenSim/Region/Framework/Scenes/SceneObjectPart.cs
index e71ce00028..093dd73adc 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Region/Framework/Scenes/SceneObjectPart.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Region/Framework/Scenes/SceneObjectPart.cs
@@ -2268,8 +2268,10 @@ if (m_shape != null) {
         {
             if (m_shape.SculptEntry)
             {
+                // commented out for sculpt map caching test - null could mean a cached sculpt map has been found
+                if (texture != null)
                 {
-                    if (texture != null)
+                    //if (texture != null)
                         m_shape.SculptData = texture.Data;
 
                     if (PhysActor != null)
diff --git a/OpenSim/Region/Physics/Meshing/Meshmerizer.cs b/OpenSim/Region/Physics/Meshing/Meshmerizer.cs
index 21f922f100..6832507771 100644
--- a/OpenSim/Region/Physics/Meshing/Meshmerizer.cs
+++ b/OpenSim/Region/Physics/Meshing/Meshmerizer.cs
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ namespace OpenSim.Region.Physics.Meshing
         private const string baseDir = null; //"rawFiles";
 #endif
 
+        private bool cacheSculptMaps = false;
         private string decodedScultMapPath = "j2kDecodeCache";
 
         private float minSizeForComplexMesh = 0.2f; // prims with all dimensions smaller than this will have a bounding box mesh
@@ -186,7 +187,7 @@ namespace OpenSim.Region.Physics.Meshing
                 if (primShape.SculptData.Length == 0)
                     return null;
 
-                if (primShape.SculptTexture != null)
+                if (cacheSculptMaps && primShape.SculptTexture != null)
                 {
                     decodedSculptFileName = System.IO.Path.Combine(decodedScultMapPath, "smap_" + primShape.SculptTexture.ToString());
                     try
@@ -199,7 +200,7 @@ namespace OpenSim.Region.Physics.Meshing
                     catch (Exception e)
                     {
                         m_log.Error("[SCULPT]: unable to load cached sculpt map " + decodedSculptFileName + " " + e.Message);
-                        
+
                     }
                     if (idata != null)
                         m_log.Debug("[SCULPT]: loaded cached map asset for map ID: " + primShape.SculptTexture.ToString());
@@ -212,9 +213,11 @@ namespace OpenSim.Region.Physics.Meshing
                         ManagedImage managedImage;  // we never use this
                         OpenJPEG.DecodeToImage(primShape.SculptData, out managedImage, out idata);
 
-                        //if (File.Exists(System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(decodedScultMapPath)))
-                        try { idata.Save(decodedSculptFileName, ImageFormat.MemoryBmp); }
-                        catch (Exception e) { m_log.Error("[SCULPT]: unable to cache sculpt map " + decodedSculptFileName + " " + e.Message); }
+                        if (cacheSculptMaps)
+                        {
+                            try { idata.Save(decodedSculptFileName, ImageFormat.MemoryBmp); }
+                            catch (Exception e) { m_log.Error("[SCULPT]: unable to cache sculpt map " + decodedSculptFileName + " " + e.Message); }
+                        }
                     }
                     catch (DllNotFoundException)
                     {