diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 50b9ace038..879b69d29a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -95,8 +95,11 @@ if(NOT FREECAD_LIBPACK_USE OR FREECAD_LIBPACK_CHECKFILE_CLBUNDLER OR FREECAD_LIB
     endif(BUILD_GUI)
     SetupSalomeSMESH()
     if (BUILD_FEM_NETGEN)
-        find_package(NETGEN)
-    endif(BUILD_FEM_NETGEN)
+        set(NETGEN_DEFINITIONS -DNO_PARALLEL_THREADS -DOCCGEOMETRY)
+        if (NOT FREECAD_USE_EXTERNAL_SMESH)
+            find_package(NETGEN REQUIRED)
+        endif()
+    endif()
     # not needed at the moment
     #find_package(OpenCV REQUIRED)
     SetupSwig()
diff --git a/cMake/FindNETGEN.cmake b/cMake/FindNETGEN.cmake
index 8162adfbd0..8a6233e6e0 100644
--- a/cMake/FindNETGEN.cmake
+++ b/cMake/FindNETGEN.cmake
@@ -13,19 +13,15 @@
 # See also: http://git.salome-platform.org/gitweb/?p=NETGENPLUGIN_SRC.git;a=summary
 
 
-find_package(Netgen CONFIG)
+find_package(Netgen CONFIG QUIET)
 IF (Netgen_FOUND)
     set(NGLIB_INCLUDE_DIR ${NETGEN_INCLUDE_DIRS})
     set(NGLIB_LIBRARIES nglib)
-    set(NETGEN_DEFINITIONS -DNO_PARALLEL_THREADS -DOCCGEOMETRY)
     # for external smesh only the following two variables are needed:
     set(NETGEN_FOUND True)
     set(NETGEN_INCLUDE_DIRS ${NETGEN_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-
 ELSE ()
 
-    SET(NETGEN_DEFINITIONS -DNO_PARALLEL_THREADS -DOCCGEOMETRY)
-
     IF (WIN32)
         FIND_PATH(NGLIB_INCLUDE_DIR NAMES nglib.h PATHS ${NETGEN_INCLUDEDIR})
         SET(NETGEN_LIBS nglib mesh occ interface)
@@ -147,3 +143,8 @@ IF (Netgen_FOUND)
     MESSAGE(STATUS "Found NETGEN version ${NETGEN_VERSION_MAJOR}.${NETGEN_VERSION_MINOR}, calculated: ${NETGEN_VERSION_C}")
     LIST(APPEND NETGEN_DEFINITIONS -DNETGEN_VERSION=${NETGEN_VERSION_C})
 ENDIF ()
+
+include(FindPackageHandleStandardArgs)
+find_package_handle_standard_args(NETGEN
+    REQUIRED_VARS NGLIB_INCLUDE_DIR NGLIB_LIBRARIES NETGEN_INCLUDE_DIRS 
+    VERSION_VAR NETGEN_VERSION)