diff --git a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/MatParam.java b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/MatParam.java
index 9088b5b47..b94e40fc9 100644
--- a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/MatParam.java
+++ b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/MatParam.java
@@ -130,10 +130,7 @@ public class MatParam implements Savable, Cloneable {
     }
 
     void apply(Renderer r, Technique technique) {
-        TechniqueDef techDef = technique.getDef();
-        if (techDef.isUsingShaders()) {
-            technique.updateUniformParam(getPrefixedName(), getVarType(), getValue());
-        }
+        technique.updateUniformParam(getPrefixedName(), getVarType(), getValue());
     }
 
     /**
@@ -343,6 +340,10 @@ When arrays can be inserted in J3M files
 
     @Override
     public String toString() {
-        return type.name() + " " + name + " : " + getValueAsString();
+        if (value != null) {
+            return type.name() + " " + name + " : " + getValueAsString();
+        } else {
+            return type.name() + " " + name;
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/MatParamTexture.java b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/MatParamTexture.java
index 1a211b475..b24d27a95 100644
--- a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/MatParamTexture.java
+++ b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/MatParamTexture.java
@@ -110,9 +110,7 @@ public class MatParamTexture extends MatParam {
     public void apply(Renderer r, Technique technique) {
         TechniqueDef techDef = technique.getDef();
         r.setTexture(getUnit(), getTextureValue());
-        if (techDef.isUsingShaders()) {
-            technique.updateUniformParam(getPrefixedName(), getVarType(), getUnit());
-        }
+        technique.updateUniformParam(getPrefixedName(), getVarType(), getUnit());
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/Material.java b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/Material.java
index 157b12922..e97f06779 100644
--- a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/Material.java
+++ b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/Material.java
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ public class Material implements CloneableSmartAsset, Cloneable, Savable {
     /**
      * This method sets the name of the material.
      * The name is not the same as the asset name.
-     * It can be null and there is no guarantee of its uniqness.
+     * It can be null and there is no guarantee of its uniqueness.
      * @param name the name of the material
      */
     public void setName(String name) {
@@ -1060,18 +1060,11 @@ public class Material implements CloneableSmartAsset, Cloneable, Savable {
                 MatParamTexture texParam = (MatParamTexture) param;
                 r.setTexture(0, texParam.getTextureValue());
             } else {
-                if (!techDef.isUsingShaders()) {
-                    continue;
-                }
-
                 technique.updateUniformParam(param.getName(), param.getVarType(), param.getValue());
             }
         }
 
-        Shader shader = technique.getShader();
-        if (techDef.isUsingShaders()) {
-            r.setShader(shader);
-        }
+        r.setShader(technique.getShader());
     }
 
     private void clearUniformsSetByCurrent(Shader shader) {
@@ -1182,11 +1175,11 @@ public class Material implements CloneableSmartAsset, Cloneable, Savable {
 
         // update camera and world matrices
         // NOTE: setWorldTransform should have been called already
-        if (techDef.isUsingShaders()) {
-            // reset unchanged uniform flag
-            clearUniformsSetByCurrent(technique.getShader());
-            rm.updateUniformBindings(technique.getWorldBindUniforms());
-        }
+
+        // reset unchanged uniform flag
+        clearUniformsSetByCurrent(technique.getShader());
+        rm.updateUniformBindings(technique.getWorldBindUniforms());
+        
 
         // setup textures and uniforms
         for (int i = 0; i < paramValues.size(); i++) {
@@ -1220,12 +1213,10 @@ public class Material implements CloneableSmartAsset, Cloneable, Savable {
         }
 
         // upload and bind shader
-        if (techDef.isUsingShaders()) {
-            // any unset uniforms will be set to 0
-            resetUniformsNotSetByCurrent(shader);
-            r.setShader(shader);
-        }
-
+        // any unset uniforms will be set to 0
+        resetUniformsNotSetByCurrent(shader);
+        r.setShader(shader);
+        
         renderMeshFromGeometry(r, geom);
     }
 
diff --git a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/Technique.java b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/Technique.java
index 024311551..ba2bc72f9 100644
--- a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/Technique.java
+++ b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/Technique.java
@@ -63,10 +63,8 @@ public class Technique /* implements Savable */ {
     public Technique(Material owner, TechniqueDef def) {
         this.owner = owner;
         this.def = def;
-        if (def.isUsingShaders()) {
-            this.worldBindUniforms = new ArrayList<Uniform>();
-            this.defines = new DefineList();
-        }
+        this.worldBindUniforms = new ArrayList<Uniform>();
+        this.defines = new DefineList();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -173,22 +171,16 @@ public class Technique /* implements Savable */ {
      * @param assetManager The asset manager to use for loading shaders.
      */
     public void makeCurrent(AssetManager assetManager, boolean techniqueSwitched, EnumSet<Caps> rendererCaps, RenderManager rm) {
-        if (!def.isUsingShaders()) {
-            // No shaders are used, no processing is neccessary. 
-            return;
-        }
-        
         if (techniqueSwitched) {
             if (defines.update(owner.getParamsMap(), def)) {
                 needReload = true;
             }
-            if(getDef().getLightMode()== TechniqueDef.LightMode.SinglePass){
+            if (getDef().getLightMode() == TechniqueDef.LightMode.SinglePass) {
                 defines.set("SINGLE_PASS_LIGHTING", VarType.Boolean, true);
-                defines.set("NB_LIGHTS", VarType.Int, rm.getSinglePassLightBatchSize()*3 );
-            }else{
+                defines.set("NB_LIGHTS", VarType.Int, rm.getSinglePassLightBatchSize() * 3);
+            } else {
                 defines.set("SINGLE_PASS_LIGHTING", VarType.Boolean, null);
             }
-            
         }
 
         if (needReload) {
diff --git a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/TechniqueDef.java b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/TechniqueDef.java
index 9c4a74257..1336442fa 100644
--- a/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/TechniqueDef.java
+++ b/jme3-core/src/main/java/com/jme3/material/TechniqueDef.java
@@ -208,12 +208,9 @@ public class TechniqueDef implements Savable {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Returns true if this technique uses shaders, false otherwise.
-     * 
-     * @return true if this technique uses shaders, false otherwise.
-     * 
-     * @see #setShaderFile(java.lang.String, java.lang.String, java.lang.String) 
+     * @deprecated jME3 always requires shaders now
      */
+    @Deprecated
     public boolean isUsingShaders(){
         return usesShaders;
     }