diff --git a/src/Gui/SoFCDB.cpp b/src/Gui/SoFCDB.cpp
index d27d6e051b..ddd7421de7 100644
--- a/src/Gui/SoFCDB.cpp
+++ b/src/Gui/SoFCDB.cpp
@@ -237,13 +237,66 @@ const std::string& Gui::SoFCDB::writeNodesToString(SoNode * root)
     return cReturnString;
 }
 
+SoNode* replaceSwitches(SoNodeList* children, SoGroup* parent)
+{
+    if (!children) {
+        return parent;
+    }
+
+    for (int i=0; i<children->getLength(); i++) {
+        SoNode* node = (*children)[i];
+        if (node->getTypeId().isDerivedFrom(SoGroup::getClassTypeId())) {
+            if (node->getTypeId().isDerivedFrom(SoSwitch::getClassTypeId())) {
+                SoSwitch* group = static_cast<SoSwitch*>(node);
+                int which = group->whichChild.getValue();
+                if (which == SO_SWITCH_NONE)
+                    continue;
+                SoGroup* newParent = new SoGroup();
+                SoNodeList c;
+                if (which >= 0) {
+                    c.append(group->getChild(which));
+                }
+                else {
+                    // SO_SWITCH_INHERIT or SO_SWITCH_ALL
+                    for (int i=0; i<group->getNumChildren(); i++)
+                        c.append(group->getChild(i));
+                }
+
+                replaceSwitches(&c, newParent);
+                parent->addChild(newParent);
+            }
+            else {
+                SoGroup* newParent = static_cast<SoGroup*>(node->getTypeId().createInstance());
+                replaceSwitches(node->getChildren(), newParent);
+                parent->addChild(newParent);
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            parent->addChild(node);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return parent;
+}
+
+SoNode* replaceSwitchesInSceneGraph(SoNode* node)
+{
+    if (node->getTypeId().isDerivedFrom(SoGroup::getClassTypeId())) {
+        return replaceSwitches(node->getChildren(), new SoSeparator);
+    }
+
+    return node;
+}
+
 bool Gui::SoFCDB::writeToVRML(SoNode* node, const char* filename, bool binary)
 {
+    SoNode* noSwitches = replaceSwitchesInSceneGraph(node);
+    noSwitches->ref();
     SoVRMLAction vrml2;
     vrml2.setOverrideMode(true);
-    vrml2.apply(node);
+    vrml2.apply(noSwitches);
     SoToVRML2Action tovrml2;
-    tovrml2.apply(node);
+    tovrml2.apply(noSwitches);
     SoVRMLGroup* vrmlRoot = tovrml2.getVRML2SceneGraph();
     vrmlRoot->setInstancePrefix(SbString("o"));
     vrmlRoot->ref();
@@ -252,7 +305,8 @@ bool Gui::SoFCDB::writeToVRML(SoNode* node, const char* filename, bool binary)
 
     // restore old settings
     vrml2.setOverrideMode(false);
-    vrml2.apply(node);
+    vrml2.apply(noSwitches);
+    noSwitches->unref();
 
     Base::FileInfo fi(filename);
     if (binary) {