diff --git a/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/gui_editor_window.cpp b/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/gui_editor_window.cpp
index 1d4050412..236ff93a2 100644
--- a/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/gui_editor_window.cpp
+++ b/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/gui_editor_window.cpp
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		projectWindow = new ProjectWindow;
 		addWidgetWidget = new AddWidgetWidget;
 		connect( projectWindow, SIGNAL( projectFilesChanged() ), this, SLOT( onProjectFilesChanged() ) );
-		viewPort      = new NelGUIWidget;
-		setCentralWidget( viewPort->getViewPort() );
+		GUICtrl      = new NelGUICtrl();
+		setCentralWidget( GUICtrl->getViewPort() );
 
 		widgetInfoTree = new CWidgetInfoTree;
 
@@ -97,9 +97,9 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		dock->setWidget( propBrowser );
 		addDockWidget( Qt::RightDockWidgetArea, dock );
 
-		viewPort->init();
+		GUICtrl->init();
 
-		connect( viewPort, SIGNAL( guiLoadComplete() ), this, SLOT( onGUILoaded() ) );
+		connect( GUICtrl, SIGNAL( guiLoadComplete() ), this, SLOT( onGUILoaded() ) );
 		connect( widgetProps, SIGNAL( treeChanged() ), this, SLOT( onTreeChanged() ) );
 		connect(
 			addWidgetWidget,
@@ -130,8 +130,8 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		delete projectWindow;
 		projectWindow = NULL;
 
-		delete viewPort;
-		viewPort = NULL;
+		delete GUICtrl;
+		GUICtrl = NULL;
 
 		delete addWidgetWidget;
 		addWidgetWidget = NULL;
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		currentProject = projectFiles.projectName.c_str();
 		currentProjectFile = fileName;
 		projectWindow->setupFiles( projectFiles );
-		if( viewPort->parse( projectFiles ) )
+		if( GUICtrl->parse( projectFiles ) )
 		{
 			hierarchyView->buildHierarchy( projectFiles.masterGroup );
 		}
@@ -282,14 +282,14 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 			return false;
 
 
-		CEditorSelectionWatcher *w = viewPort->getWatcher();
+		CEditorSelectionWatcher *w = GUICtrl->getWatcher();
 		disconnect( w, SIGNAL( sgnSelectionChanged( std::string& ) ), hierarchyView, SLOT( onSelectionChanged( std::string& ) ) );
 		disconnect( w, SIGNAL( sgnSelectionChanged( std::string& ) ), &browserCtrl, SLOT( onSelectionChanged( std::string& ) ) );
 
 		projectFiles.clearAll();
 		projectWindow->clear();
 		hierarchyView->clearHierarchy();
-		viewPort->reset();
+		GUICtrl->reset();
 		browserCtrl.clear();
 		linkList->clear();
 		procList->clear();
@@ -305,7 +305,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		setCursor( Qt::WaitCursor );
 
 		projectWindow->updateFiles( projectFiles );
-		if( !viewPort->parse( projectFiles ) )
+		if( !GUICtrl->parse( projectFiles ) )
 		{
 			QMessageBox::critical( this,
 				tr( "Error parsing GUI XML files" ),
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		procList->onGUILoaded();
 		linkList->onGUILoaded();
 
-		CEditorSelectionWatcher *w = viewPort->getWatcher();
+		CEditorSelectionWatcher *w = GUICtrl->getWatcher();
 		connect( w, SIGNAL( sgnSelectionChanged( std::string& ) ), hierarchyView, SLOT( onSelectionChanged( std::string& ) ) );
 		connect( w, SIGNAL( sgnSelectionChanged( std::string& ) ), &browserCtrl, SLOT( onSelectionChanged( std::string& ) ) );
 	}
@@ -345,13 +345,13 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 	void GUIEditorWindow::hideEvent( QHideEvent *evnt )
 	{
 		QWidget::hideEvent( evnt );
-		viewPort->hide();
+		GUICtrl->hide();
 	}
 
 	void GUIEditorWindow::showEvent( QShowEvent *evnt )
 	{
 		QWidget::showEvent( evnt );
-		viewPort->show();
+		GUICtrl->show();
 	}
 
 	void GUIEditorWindow::createMenus()
diff --git a/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/gui_editor_window.h b/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/gui_editor_window.h
index 6434b07d6..517186739 100644
--- a/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/gui_editor_window.h
+++ b/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/gui_editor_window.h
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 	class LinkList;
 	class ProcList;
 	class ProjectWindow;
-	class NelGUIWidget;
+	class NelGUICtrl;
 	class CWidgetInfoTree;
 	class CEditorMessageProcessor;
 	class AddWidgetWidget;
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ private:
 		LinkList *linkList;
 		ProcList *procList;
 		ProjectWindow *projectWindow;
-		NelGUIWidget *viewPort;
+		NelGUICtrl *GUICtrl;
 		CWidgetInfoTree *widgetInfoTree;
 		CEditorMessageProcessor *messageProcessor;
 		AddWidgetWidget *addWidgetWidget;
diff --git a/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/nelgui_widget.cpp b/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/nelgui_widget.cpp
index 812e002df..6fc9db7e3 100644
--- a/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/nelgui_widget.cpp
+++ b/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/nelgui_widget.cpp
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 {
 	std::set< std::string > hwCursors;
 
-	NelGUIWidget::NelGUIWidget( QWidget *parent ) :
-	QWidget( parent )
+	NelGUICtrl::NelGUICtrl( QObject *parent ) :
+	QObject( parent )
 	{
 		timerID = 0;
 		guiLoaded = false;
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		w = new Nel3DWidget();
 	}
 
-	NelGUIWidget::~NelGUIWidget()
+	NelGUICtrl::~NelGUICtrl()
 	{
 		guiLoaded = false;
 		if( timerID != 0 )
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		w = NULL;
 	}
 
-	void NelGUIWidget::init()
+	void NelGUICtrl::init()
 	{
 		NLMISC::CI18N::setNoResolution( true );
 		NLMISC::CPath::remapExtension( "dds", "tga", true );
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		watcher = new CEditorSelectionWatcher();
 	}
 
-	bool NelGUIWidget::parse( SProjectFiles &files )
+	bool NelGUICtrl::parse( SProjectFiles &files )
 	{
 		reset();
 		IParser *parser = CWidgetManager::getInstance()->getParser();
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		return true;
 	}
 
-	void NelGUIWidget::reset()
+	void NelGUICtrl::reset()
 	{
 		guiLoaded = false;
 		if( timerID != 0 )
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		w->clear();
 	}
 
-	void NelGUIWidget::draw()
+	void NelGUICtrl::draw()
 	{
 		w->getDriver()->clearBuffers( NLMISC::CRGBA::Black );
 		CWidgetManager::getInstance()->checkCoords();
@@ -141,13 +141,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		w->getDriver()->swapBuffers();
 	}
 
-	void NelGUIWidget::paintEvent( QPaintEvent *evnt )
-	{
-		if( !guiLoaded )
-			w->clear();
-	}
-
-	void NelGUIWidget::timerEvent( QTimerEvent *evnt )
+	void NelGUICtrl::timerEvent( QTimerEvent *evnt )
 	{
 		if( evnt->timerId() == timerID )
 		{
@@ -159,13 +153,13 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		}
 	}
 
-	void NelGUIWidget::show()
+	void NelGUICtrl::show()
 	{
 		if( timerID == 0 )
 			timerID = startTimer( 200 );
 	}
 
-	void NelGUIWidget::hide()
+	void NelGUICtrl::hide()
 	{
 		if( timerID != 0 )
 		{
@@ -174,7 +168,7 @@ namespace GUIEditor
 		}
 	}
 
-	QWidget* NelGUIWidget::getViewPort()
+	QWidget* NelGUICtrl::getViewPort()
 	{
 		return w;
 	}
diff --git a/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/nelgui_widget.h b/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/nelgui_widget.h
index dacee1668..38da599e4 100644
--- a/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/nelgui_widget.h
+++ b/code/studio/src/plugins/gui_editor/nelgui_widget.h
@@ -18,21 +18,23 @@
 #ifndef NELGUI_WIDGET_H
 #define NELGUI_WIDGET_H
 
-#include <QWidget>
+#include <QObject>
 #include "project_files.h"
 
+class QWidget;
+
 namespace GUIEditor
 {
 	class CEditorSelectionWatcher;
 	class Nel3DWidget;
 
-	/// Qt viewport for the Nel GUI library
-	class NelGUIWidget : public QWidget
+	/// Qt viewport controller for the Nel GUI library
+	class NelGUICtrl : public QObject
 	{
 		Q_OBJECT
 	public:
-		NelGUIWidget( QWidget *parent = NULL );
-		~NelGUIWidget();
+		NelGUICtrl( QObject *parent = NULL );
+		~NelGUICtrl();
 
 		void init();
 		bool parse( SProjectFiles &files );
@@ -49,7 +51,6 @@ Q_SIGNALS:
 		void guiLoadComplete();
 
 	protected:
-		void paintEvent( QPaintEvent *evnt );
 		void timerEvent( QTimerEvent *evnt );
 
 	private: