diff --git a/src/osgEarth/InstanceResource b/src/osgEarth/InstanceResource
index 5c8f8baacb..1f667bf59e 100644
--- a/src/osgEarth/InstanceResource
+++ b/src/osgEarth/InstanceResource
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ namespace osgEarth { namespace Util
         optional<URI>& uri() { return _uri; }
         const optional<URI>& uri() const { return _uri; }
 
+        //! For programmaticly set nodes only
+        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node>& node() { return _node; }
+        const osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node>& node() const { return _node; }
+
     public: // serialization methods
 
         virtual Config getConfig() const;
@@ -62,7 +66,8 @@ namespace osgEarth { namespace Util
         /** Constructs a new resource. */
         InstanceResource( const Config& conf =Config() );
 
-        optional<URI>  _uri;
+        optional<URI> _uri;
+        osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> _node;
 
         virtual osg::Node* createNodeFromURI( const URI& uri, const osgDB::Options* dbOptions ) const =0;
     };
diff --git a/src/osgEarth/InstanceResource.cpp b/src/osgEarth/InstanceResource.cpp
index d26af729f5..bc3a62d1d7 100644
--- a/src/osgEarth/InstanceResource.cpp
+++ b/src/osgEarth/InstanceResource.cpp
@@ -50,5 +50,8 @@ InstanceResource::getConfig() const
 osg::Node*
 InstanceResource::createNode( const osgDB::Options* dbOptions ) const
 {
-    return createNodeFromURI( _uri.value(), dbOptions );
+    if (_node.valid())
+        return _node.get();
+    else
+        return createNodeFromURI( _uri.value(), dbOptions );
 }
diff --git a/src/osgEarth/SubstituteModelFilter.cpp b/src/osgEarth/SubstituteModelFilter.cpp
index 3469bd1111..16e60a92d7 100644
--- a/src/osgEarth/SubstituteModelFilter.cpp
+++ b/src/osgEarth/SubstituteModelFilter.cpp
@@ -113,7 +113,6 @@ SubstituteModelFilter::findResource(const URI&            uri,
                                     osg::ref_ptr<InstanceResource>& output )
 {
     // be careful about refptrs here since _instanceCache is an LRU.
-
     InstanceCache::Record rec;
     if ( _instanceCache.get(uri, rec) )
     {
@@ -129,8 +128,16 @@ SubstituteModelFilter::findResource(const URI&            uri,
     {
         // create it on the fly:
         output = symbol->createResource();
-        output->uri() = uri;
-        _instanceCache.insert( uri, output.get() );
+        
+        if (!uri.empty())
+        {
+            output->uri() = uri;
+            _instanceCache.insert(uri, output.get());
+        }
+        else if (symbol->asModel())
+        {
+            output->node() = symbol->asModel()->getModel();
+        }
     }
 
     // failed to find the instance.