diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmFieldHandle.h b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmFieldHandle.h
index 7ef8a7c244..a7a83e52db 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmFieldHandle.h
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmFieldHandle.h
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ public:
     // Ptr referenced objects
     bool             hasPtrReferencedObjects();
     virtual void     ptrReferencedObjects(std::vector<PdmObjectHandle*>*)        {  }
+    virtual void     resolveReferences()                                        {  }
 
     // Capabilities
     void             addCapability(PdmFieldCapability* capability, bool takeOwnership) { m_capabilities.push_back(std::make_pair(capability, takeOwnership)); }
diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmPtrField.h b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmPtrField.h
index 2484cfb1a5..8adb40ffab 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmPtrField.h
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmPtrField.h
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class PdmPtrField <DataType*> : public PdmFieldHandle
 public:
     typedef PdmPointer<DataType> FieldDataType;
 
-    PdmPtrField()                                                          { }
+    PdmPtrField()                                                          { m_referenceString = ""; m_isResolved = false; }
     explicit PdmPtrField(const DataTypePtr& fieldValue);                
     virtual ~PdmPtrField();
 
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ public:
     // Ptr referenced objects
 
     virtual void ptrReferencedObjects(std::vector<PdmObjectHandle*>* objectsToFill);
+    virtual void resolveReferences();
 
 private:
     PDM_DISABLE_COPY_AND_ASSIGN(PdmPtrField);
@@ -76,6 +77,10 @@ private:
     void setRawPtr(PdmObjectHandle* obj);
 
 	PdmPointer<DataType>        m_fieldValue;
+
+    // Resolving
+    QString                     m_referenceString;
+    bool                        m_isResolved;
 };
 
 } // End of namespace caf
diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmPtrField.inl b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmPtrField.inl
index cf3dbf9d23..d6e30270a7 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmPtrField.inl
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmCore/cafPdmPtrField.inl
@@ -100,5 +100,19 @@ void PdmPtrField<DataType*>::ptrReferencedObjects(std::vector<PdmObjectHandle*>*
     }
 }
 
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/// 
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+template<typename DataType >
+void PdmPtrField<DataType*>::resolveReferences()
+{
+    if (m_isResolved) return;
+    if (m_referenceString.isEmpty()) return;
+
+    PdmObjectHandle* objHandle = PdmReferenceHelper::objectFromFieldReference(this, m_referenceString);
+    this->setRawPtr(objHandle);
+    m_isResolved = true;
+}
+
 } // End of namespace caf
 
diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmDocument.cpp b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmDocument.cpp
index 74d96c06a8..0e5a83f20b 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmDocument.cpp
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmDocument.cpp
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ void PdmDocument::readFile(QIODevice* xmlFile)
     // Ask all objects to initialize and set up internal datastructure and pointers 
     // after everything is read from file
 
+    PdmDocument::resolveReferencesTraversal(this);
     PdmDocument::initAfterReadTraversal(this);
 }
 
@@ -215,6 +216,36 @@ void PdmDocument::updateUiIconStateRecursively(PdmObjectHandle* object)
     }
 }
 
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/// 
+//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+void PdmDocument::resolveReferencesTraversal(PdmObjectHandle* object)
+{
+    if (object == NULL) return;
+
+    std::vector<PdmFieldHandle*> fields;
+    object->fields(fields);
+
+    std::vector<PdmObjectHandle*> children;
+    size_t fIdx;
+    for (fIdx = 0; fIdx < fields.size(); ++fIdx)
+    {
+        PdmFieldHandle* field = fields[fIdx];
+        if (field)
+        {
+            field->childObjects(&children);
+
+            field->resolveReferences();
+        }
+    }
+
+    size_t cIdx;
+    for (cIdx = 0; cIdx < children.size(); ++cIdx)
+    {
+        PdmDocument::resolveReferencesTraversal(children[cIdx]);
+    }
+}
+
 
 } //End of namespace caf
 
diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmDocument.h b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmDocument.h
index 115730ffd7..3b3bd8b10a 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmDocument.h
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmDocument.h
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ class PdmDocument: public PdmObject
 
     static void         updateUiIconStateRecursively(PdmObjectHandle* root);
     static void         initAfterReadTraversal(PdmObjectHandle* root);
+    static void         resolveReferencesTraversal(PdmObjectHandle* root);
 
 private:
     static void         setupBeforeSaveTraversal(PdmObjectHandle * root);
diff --git a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.inl b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.inl
index 8955f6efd6..772c204023 100644
--- a/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.inl
+++ b/Fwk/AppFwk/cafProjectDataModel/cafPdmXml/cafInternalPdmXmlFieldCapability.inl
@@ -67,9 +67,9 @@ template<typename FieldType >
      //
      // and then we need a traversal of the object hierarchy to resolve all references before initAfterRead.
 
-     PdmObjectHandle* objHandle = PdmReferenceHelper::objectFromFieldReference(m_field, dataString);
-     m_field->setRawPtr(objHandle);
- }
+     m_field->m_isResolved = false;
+     m_field->m_referenceString = dataString;
+}
 
  //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  ///