diff --git a/pandatool/src/maya/mayaApi.cxx b/pandatool/src/maya/mayaApi.cxx
index 36cee58f9c..1014b64661 100644
--- a/pandatool/src/maya/mayaApi.cxx
+++ b/pandatool/src/maya/mayaApi.cxx
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ static MFnAnimCurve force_link_with_OpenMayaAnim;
 //               instead, use the open_api() method.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 MayaApi::
-MayaApi(const string &program_name) {
+MayaApi(const string &program_name, bool view_license, bool revert_dir) {
   if (program_name == "plug-in") {
     // In this special case, we are invoking the code from within a
     // plug-in, so we need not (and should not) call
@@ -65,28 +65,32 @@ MayaApi(const string &program_name) {
   // Furthermore, the current directory may change during the call to
   // any Maya function!  Egad!
   _cwd = ExecutionEnvironment::get_cwd();
-  MStatus stat = MLibrary::initialize((char *)program_name.c_str());
+  MStatus stat = MLibrary::initialize(false, (char *)program_name.c_str(), view_license);
 
   int error_count = init_maya_repeat_count;
   while (!stat && error_count > 1) {
     stat.perror("MLibrary::initialize");
     Thread::sleep(init_maya_timeout);
-    stat = MLibrary::initialize((char *)program_name.c_str());
+    stat = MLibrary::initialize(false, (char *)program_name.c_str(), view_license);
     --error_count;
   }
-  
-  // Restore the current directory.
-  string dirname = _cwd.to_os_specific();
-  if (chdir(dirname.c_str()) < 0) {
-    maya_cat.warning()
-      << "Unable to restore current directory to " << _cwd
-      << " after initializing Maya.\n";
-  } else {
-    if (maya_cat.is_debug()) {
-      maya_cat.debug()
-        << "Restored current directory to " << _cwd << "\n";
-    }
+
+  // Restore the current directory. Ever since Maya 2010, there seems to be
+  // some bad mojo when you do this.
+  if( revert_dir ){
+	  string dirname = _cwd.to_os_specific();
+	  if (chdir(dirname.c_str()) < 0) {
+		maya_cat.warning()
+		  << "Unable to restore current directory to " << _cwd
+		  << " after initializing Maya.\n";
+	  } else {
+		if (maya_cat.is_debug()) {
+		  maya_cat.debug()
+			<< "Restored current directory to " << _cwd << "\n";
+		}
+	  }
   }
+  
 
   if (!stat) {
     stat.perror("MLibrary::initialize");
@@ -151,7 +155,7 @@ MayaApi::
 //               case, the maya library is not re-initialized.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 PT(MayaApi) MayaApi::
-open_api(string program_name) {
+open_api(string program_name, bool view_license, bool revertdir) {
   if (_global_api == (MayaApi *)NULL) {
     // We need to create a new MayaApi object.
     if (program_name.empty()) {
@@ -161,7 +165,7 @@ open_api(string program_name) {
       }
     }
 
-    _global_api = new MayaApi(program_name);
+    _global_api = new MayaApi(program_name, view_license, revertdir);
 
     // Try to compare the string-formatted runtime version number with
     // the numeric compile-time version number, so we can sanity check
diff --git a/pandatool/src/maya/mayaApi.h b/pandatool/src/maya/mayaApi.h
index 601ca970e7..0c2fe30e1a 100644
--- a/pandatool/src/maya/mayaApi.h
+++ b/pandatool/src/maya/mayaApi.h
@@ -32,14 +32,14 @@ class Filename;
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 class MayaApi : public ReferenceCount {
 protected:
-  MayaApi(const string &program_name);
+  MayaApi(const string &program_name, bool view_license = false, bool revertdir = true);
   MayaApi(const MayaApi &copy);
   void operator = (const MayaApi &copy);
 
 public:
   ~MayaApi();
 
-  static PT(MayaApi) open_api(string program_name = "");
+  static PT(MayaApi) open_api(string program_name = "", bool view_license = false, bool revertdir = true);
   bool is_valid() const;
 
   bool read(const Filename &filename);
diff --git a/pandatool/src/mayaegg/mayaToEggConverter.cxx b/pandatool/src/mayaegg/mayaToEggConverter.cxx
index 39d42178bf..9ac80f8cbe 100644
--- a/pandatool/src/mayaegg/mayaToEggConverter.cxx
+++ b/pandatool/src/mayaegg/mayaToEggConverter.cxx
@@ -593,9 +593,11 @@ convert_maya() {
 //               there is an error.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 bool MayaToEggConverter::
-open_api() {
+open_api(bool revert_directory) {
   if (_maya == (MayaApi *)NULL || !_maya->is_valid()) {
-    _maya = MayaApi::open_api(_program_name);
+	  //maya to egg converter only needs a read license.
+	  //only egg2maya need write lisences.
+    _maya = MayaApi::open_api(_program_name, true, revert_directory);
   }
   return _maya->is_valid();
 }
@@ -2612,9 +2614,9 @@ set_shader_legacy(EggPrimitive &primitive, const MayaShader &shader,
 
       if (color_def->_has_texture) {
         // If we have a texture on color, apply it as the filename.
-        //if (mayaegg_cat.is_debug()) {
-          //mayaegg_cat.debug() << "ssa:got texture name" << color_def->_texture_filename << endl;
-        //}
+        if (mayaegg_cat.is_debug()) {
+          mayaegg_cat.debug() << "ssa:got texture name" << color_def->_texture_filename << endl;
+        }
         Filename filename = Filename::from_os_specific(color_def->_texture_filename);
         Filename fullpath, outpath;
         _path_replace->full_convert_path(filename, get_model_path(), fullpath, outpath);
@@ -2665,7 +2667,7 @@ set_shader_legacy(EggPrimitive &primitive, const MayaShader &shader,
                                              fullpath, outpath);
             tex.set_alpha_filename(outpath);
             tex.set_alpha_fullpath(fullpath);
-          }
+          } 
         } else {
           // If there is no transparency texture specified, we don't
           // have any transparency, so tell the egg format to ignore any
diff --git a/pandatool/src/mayaegg/mayaToEggConverter.h b/pandatool/src/mayaegg/mayaToEggConverter.h
index 987217d0a7..d8048f2955 100644
--- a/pandatool/src/mayaegg/mayaToEggConverter.h
+++ b/pandatool/src/mayaegg/mayaToEggConverter.h
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ public:
 
   void clear();
 
-  bool open_api();
+  bool open_api(bool revert_directory=true);
   void close_api();
 
 private:
diff --git a/pandatool/src/mayaprogs/mayaToEgg.cxx b/pandatool/src/mayaprogs/mayaToEgg.cxx
index e2444fdf8f..6c01496736 100644
--- a/pandatool/src/mayaprogs/mayaToEgg.cxx
+++ b/pandatool/src/mayaprogs/mayaToEgg.cxx
@@ -185,7 +185,9 @@ run() {
 
   nout << "Initializing Maya.\n";
   MayaToEggConverter converter(_program_name);
-  if (!converter.open_api()) {
+  //reverting directories is really not needed for maya2egg.  It's
+  //more needed for mayaeggloader and such
+  if (!converter.open_api(false)) {
     nout << "Unable to initialize Maya.\n";
     exit(1);
   }