diff --git a/engine/src/niftygui/com/jme3/niftygui/RenderDeviceJme.java b/engine/src/niftygui/com/jme3/niftygui/RenderDeviceJme.java
index 06f785dcd..dc7d57414 100644
--- a/engine/src/niftygui/com/jme3/niftygui/RenderDeviceJme.java
+++ b/engine/src/niftygui/com/jme3/niftygui/RenderDeviceJme.java
@@ -70,19 +70,12 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
     private final Geometry quadGeom = new Geometry("nifty-quad", quad);
     private final Material unshadedMat;
     private boolean clipWasSet = false;
-    private BlendMode blendMode = null;
     private VertexBuffer quadDefaultTC = quad.getBuffer(Type.TexCoord);
     private VertexBuffer quadModTC = quadDefaultTC.clone();
     private VertexBuffer quadColor;
     private Matrix4f tempMat = new Matrix4f();
     private ColorRGBA tempColor = new ColorRGBA();
-    
-    private static final RenderState noZWriteState = new RenderState();
-    
-    static {
-        noZWriteState.setDepthTest(false);
-        noZWriteState.setDepthWrite(false);
-    }
+    private RenderState renderState = new RenderState();
     
     private static class CachedTextKey {
         
@@ -127,8 +120,10 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         
         // GUI material
         unshadedMat = new Material(display.getAssetManager(), "Common/MatDefs/Misc/Unshaded.j3md");
-        unshadedMat.getAdditionalRenderState().setDepthTest(false);
-        unshadedMat.getAdditionalRenderState().setDepthWrite(false);
+        
+        // Shared render state
+        renderState.setDepthTest(false);
+        renderState.setDepthWrite(false);
     }
     
     public void setResourceLoader(NiftyResourceLoader niftyResourceLoader) {
@@ -163,7 +158,6 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
     }
     
     public void beginFrame() {
-        rm.setForcedRenderState(noZWriteState);
     }
     
     public void endFrame() {
@@ -186,12 +180,10 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
     }
     
     public void setBlendMode(BlendMode blendMode) {
-        if (this.blendMode != blendMode) {
-            this.blendMode = blendMode;
-        }
+        renderState.setBlendMode(convertBlend(blendMode));
     }
     
-    private RenderState.BlendMode convertBlend() {
+    private RenderState.BlendMode convertBlend(BlendMode blendMode) {
         if (blendMode == null) {
             return RenderState.BlendMode.Off;
         } else if (blendMode == BlendMode.BLEND) {
@@ -218,11 +210,7 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
 
     @Override
     public void renderFont(RenderFont font, String str, int x, int y, Color color, float sizeX, float sizeY) {        
-        if (str.length() == 0) {
-            return;
-        }
-        
-        if (font instanceof RenderFontNull) {
+        if (str.length() == 0 || font instanceof RenderFontNull) {
             return;
         }
         
@@ -238,11 +226,6 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         }
         textCacheCurrentFrame.put(key, text);
         
-//        unshadedMat.getAdditionalRenderState().setBlendMode(convertBlend());
-//        unshadedMat.setBoolean("VertexColor", true);
-//        unshadedMat.setColor("Color", convertColor(color, tempColor));        
-//        text.setMaterial(unshadedMat);
-        
         float width = text.getLineWidth();
 //        float height = text.getLineHeight();
         float x0 = x + 0.5f * width * (1f - sizeX);
@@ -253,6 +236,7 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         tempMat.setScale(sizeX, sizeY, 0);
 
         rm.setWorldMatrix(tempMat);
+        rm.setForcedRenderState(renderState);
         text.render(rm, colorRgba);
         
 //        System.out.format("renderFont(%s, %s, %d, %d, %s, %f, %f)\n", jmeFont.getFont(), str, x, y, color.toString(), sizeX, sizeY);
@@ -262,10 +246,10 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
             int srcX, int srcY, int srcW, int srcH,
             Color color, float scale,
             int centerX, int centerY) {
+        
         RenderImageJme jmeImage = (RenderImageJme) image;
         Texture2D texture = jmeImage.getTexture();
         
-        unshadedMat.getAdditionalRenderState().setBlendMode(convertBlend());
         unshadedMat.setColor("Color", convertColor(color, tempColor));
         unshadedMat.setTexture("ColorMap", texture);        
         unshadedMat.setBoolean("VertexColor", false);
@@ -301,6 +285,7 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         tempMat.setScale(w * scale, h * scale, 0);
         
         rm.setWorldMatrix(tempMat);
+        rm.setForcedRenderState(renderState);
         unshadedMat.render(quadGeom, rm);
         
         //System.out.format("renderImage2(%s, %d, %d, %d, %d, %d, %d, %d, %d, %s, %f, %d, %d)\n", texture.getKey().toString(),
@@ -313,7 +298,6 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         
         RenderImageJme jmeImage = (RenderImageJme) image;
         
-        unshadedMat.getAdditionalRenderState().setBlendMode(convertBlend());
         unshadedMat.setColor("Color", convertColor(color, tempColor));
         unshadedMat.setTexture("ColorMap", jmeImage.getTexture());
         unshadedMat.setBoolean("VertexColor", false);
@@ -329,13 +313,13 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         tempMat.setScale(width * imageScale, height * imageScale, 0);
         
         rm.setWorldMatrix(tempMat);
+        rm.setForcedRenderState(renderState);
         unshadedMat.render(quadGeom, rm);
         
         //System.out.format("renderImage1(%s, %d, %d, %d, %d, %s, %f)\n", jmeImage.getTexture().getKey().toString(), x, y, width, height, color.toString(), imageScale);
     }
     
     public void renderQuad(int x, int y, int width, int height, Color color) {
-        unshadedMat.getAdditionalRenderState().setBlendMode(convertBlend());
         unshadedMat.setColor("Color", convertColor(color, tempColor));                        
         unshadedMat.setTexture("ColorMap", null);
         unshadedMat.setBoolean("VertexColor", false);
@@ -345,6 +329,7 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         tempMat.setScale(width, height, 0);
 
         rm.setWorldMatrix(tempMat);
+        rm.setForcedRenderState(renderState);
         unshadedMat.render(quadGeom, rm);
         
         //System.out.format("renderQuad1(%d, %d, %d, %d, %s)\n", x, y, width, height, color.toString());
@@ -365,7 +350,6 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         buf.flip();
         quadColor.updateData(buf);
         
-        unshadedMat.getAdditionalRenderState().setBlendMode(convertBlend()); 
         unshadedMat.setColor("Color", ColorRGBA.White);                        
         unshadedMat.setTexture("ColorMap", null);
         unshadedMat.setBoolean("VertexColor", true);
@@ -375,6 +359,7 @@ public class RenderDeviceJme implements RenderDevice {
         tempMat.setScale(width, height, 0);
         
         rm.setWorldMatrix(tempMat);
+        rm.setForcedRenderState(renderState);
         unshadedMat.render(quadGeom, rm);
         
         //System.out.format("renderQuad2(%d, %d, %d, %d, %s, %s, %s, %s)\n", x, y, width, height, topLeft.toString(),