Index: trunk/src/formats/assimp_loader.cc
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/formats/assimp_loader.cc	(revision 279)
+++ trunk/src/formats/assimp_loader.cc	(revision 280)
@@ -143,6 +143,6 @@
 	}
 
-	mesh_raw_index_channel* ichannel = mesh_raw_index_channel::create( USHORT, mesh->mNumFaces * 3 );
-	result->set_index_channel( ichannel );
+	mesh_raw_channel* ichannel = mesh_raw_channel::create_index( USHORT, mesh->mNumFaces * 3 );
+	result->add_channel( ichannel );
 	uint16* indices = (uint16*)ichannel->data;
 	for (unsigned int i=0; i<mesh->mNumFaces; i++)
@@ -294,5 +294,6 @@
 		{
 			mesh_data* mesh = model->meshes[m];
-			mesh_raw_channel* channel = mesh->get_channel_data()[0];
+			mesh_raw_channel* channel = mesh->get_raw_channels()[0];
+			NV_ASSERT( !channel->is_index(), "index channel in release_merged!" );
 			assimp_skinned_vtx* va = (assimp_skinned_vtx*)channel->data;
 			for ( unsigned v = 0; v < channel->count; ++v )
Index: trunk/src/formats/md2_loader.cc
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/formats/md2_loader.cc	(revision 279)
+++ trunk/src/formats/md2_loader.cc	(revision 280)
@@ -359,5 +359,5 @@
 	}
 
-	mesh_raw_index_channel* ic = mesh_raw_index_channel::create< uint16 >( m_new_indexes.size() );
+	mesh_raw_channel* ic = mesh_raw_channel::create_index< uint16 >( m_new_indexes.size() );
 	if ( m_new_indexes.size() > 0 )
 	{
@@ -369,5 +369,5 @@
 	result->add_channel( mc_pn );
 	result->add_channel( mc_t );
-	result->set_index_channel( ic );
+	result->add_channel( ic );
 	return result;
 }
Index: trunk/src/formats/md3_loader.cc
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/formats/md3_loader.cc	(revision 279)
+++ trunk/src/formats/md3_loader.cc	(revision 280)
@@ -377,5 +377,5 @@
 	index = 0;
 	sint32 index_base = 0;
-	mesh_raw_index_channel* ic = mesh_raw_index_channel::create< uint16 >( index_count );
+	mesh_raw_channel* ic = mesh_raw_channel::create_index< uint16 >( index_count );
 	uint16* icp = (uint16*)ic->data;
 	for ( sint32 i = 0; i < num_surfaces; ++i )
@@ -396,5 +396,5 @@
 	result->add_channel( mc_pn );
 	result->add_channel( mc_t );
-	result->set_index_channel( ic );
+	result->add_channel( ic );
 	return result;
 }
Index: trunk/src/formats/md5_loader.cc
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/formats/md5_loader.cc	(revision 279)
+++ trunk/src/formats/md5_loader.cc	(revision 280)
@@ -145,9 +145,9 @@
 					sstream >> num_tris;
 
-					mesh_raw_index_channel* ch_i = mesh_raw_index_channel::create<uint32>( num_tris * 3 );
+					mesh_raw_channel* ch_i = mesh_raw_channel::create_index<uint32>( num_tris * 3 );
 					uint32* vtx_i                = (uint32*)ch_i->data;
 					mesh->m_idata                = vtx_i;
 					uint32 idx = 0;
-					mesh->set_index_channel( ch_i );
+					mesh->add_channel( ch_i );
 
 					next_line( sstream );
Index: trunk/src/formats/obj_loader.cc
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/formats/obj_loader.cc	(revision 279)
+++ trunk/src/formats/obj_loader.cc	(revision 280)
@@ -334,5 +334,4 @@
 		channel->desc  = m_descriptor;
 		channel->count = reader->size * 3;
-		channel->size  = reader->raw_size();
 
 		mesh_data* mesh = new mesh_data();
Index: trunk/src/gfx/keyframed_mesh.cc
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/gfx/keyframed_mesh.cc	(revision 279)
+++ trunk/src/gfx/keyframed_mesh.cc	(revision 280)
@@ -32,6 +32,6 @@
 
 	m_index_count  = m_mesh_data->get_index_channel()->count;
-	m_vertex_count = m_mesh_data->get_channel_data()[1]->count;
-	m_frame_count  = m_mesh_data->get_channel_data()[0]->count / m_vertex_count;
+	m_vertex_count = m_mesh_data->get_channel<vertex_t>()->count;
+	m_frame_count  = m_mesh_data->get_channel<vertex_pn>()->count / m_vertex_count;
 }
 
@@ -167,12 +167,12 @@
 	: keyframed_mesh( a_device, a_data, a_tag_map )
 {
-	m_vb = a_device->create_vertex_buffer( nv::STATIC_DRAW, m_vertex_count * sizeof( vertex_pn ), (void*)m_mesh_data->get_channel_data()[0]->data );
-	m_va->add_vertex_buffers( m_vb, m_mesh_data->get_channel_data()[0] );
+	m_vb = a_device->create_vertex_buffer( nv::STATIC_DRAW, m_vertex_count * sizeof( vertex_pn ), (void*)m_mesh_data->get_channel<vertex_pn>()->data );
+	m_va->add_vertex_buffers( m_vb, m_mesh_data->get_channel<vertex_pn>() );
 
-	nv::vertex_buffer* vb = a_device->create_vertex_buffer( nv::STATIC_DRAW, m_vertex_count * sizeof( nv::vec2 ), (void*)m_mesh_data->get_channel_data()[1]->data );
-	m_va->add_vertex_buffers( vb, m_mesh_data->get_channel_data()[1] );
+	nv::vertex_buffer* vb = a_device->create_vertex_buffer( nv::STATIC_DRAW, m_vertex_count * sizeof( nv::vec2 ), (void*)m_mesh_data->get_channel<vertex_t>()->data );
+	m_va->add_vertex_buffers( vb, m_mesh_data->get_channel<vertex_t>() );
 
-	nv::index_buffer* ib = a_device->create_index_buffer( nv::STATIC_DRAW, m_mesh_data->get_index_channel()->size, (void*)m_mesh_data->get_index_channel()->data );
-	m_va->set_index_buffer( ib, m_mesh_data->get_index_channel()->etype, true );
+	nv::index_buffer* ib = a_device->create_index_buffer( nv::STATIC_DRAW, m_mesh_data->get_index_channel()->size(), (void*)m_mesh_data->get_index_channel()->data );
+	m_va->set_index_buffer( ib, m_mesh_data->get_index_channel()->desc.slots[0].etype, true );
 
 	m_vertex.resize( m_vertex_count );
@@ -183,5 +183,5 @@
 	keyframed_mesh::update( ms );
 
-	const vertex_pn* data = (const vertex_pn*)(m_mesh_data->get_channel_data()[0]->data);
+	const vertex_pn* data = m_mesh_data->get_channel_data<vertex_pn>();
 	const vertex_pn* prev = data + m_vertex_count * m_last_frame;
 	const vertex_pn* next = data + m_vertex_count * m_next_frame;
Index: trunk/src/io/string_table.cc
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/io/string_table.cc	(revision 280)
+++ trunk/src/io/string_table.cc	(revision 280)
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2014 ChaosForge Ltd
+// http://chaosforge.org/
+//
+// This file is part of NV Libraries.
+// For conditions of distribution and use, see copyright notice in nv.hh
+
+#include "nv/io/string_table.hh"
+
+nv::string_table_creator::string_table_creator()
+{
+	insert(""); // 0 always is empty string
+}
+
+nv::string_table_creator::index nv::string_table_creator::insert( const std::string& s )
+{
+	auto i = m_map.find( s );
+	if ( i != m_map.end() )
+	{
+		return i->second;
+	}
+	const char* cs = s.c_str();
+	uint32 cs_size = s.size() + 1;
+	NV_ASSERT( m_offsets.size() < index(-1), "Too many strings!" );
+	index  result  = (index)m_offsets.size();
+	m_offsets.push_back( m_data.size() );
+	std::copy( cs, cs + cs_size, std::back_inserter( m_data ) );
+	m_map[ s ] = result;
+	return result;
+}
+
+nv::string_table* nv::string_table_creator::create_table() const
+{
+	offset* offsets = new offset[m_offsets.size()];
+	char*   data    = new char [m_data.size()];
+	std::copy( m_offsets.begin(), m_offsets.end(), offsets );
+	std::copy( m_data.begin(),    m_data.end(),    data );
+	return new string_table( data, m_data.size(), offsets, (index)m_offsets.size() );
+}
+
+void nv::string_table_creator::dump( nv::stream* out ) const
+{
+	index  count = (index)m_offsets.size();
+	uint32 size  = m_data.size();
+	out->write( &count,  sizeof( count ), 1 );
+	out->write( &size,   sizeof( size ), 1 );
+	out->write( m_offsets.data(), sizeof( offset ), count );
+	out->write( m_data.data(),    sizeof( char ),  size );
+}
+
+const char* nv::string_table_creator::get( index i ) const
+{
+	return i < m_offsets.size() ? m_data.data() + m_offsets[i] : nullptr;
+}
+
+nv::string_table_creator::index nv::string_table_creator::get( const std::string& s ) const
+{
+	auto i = m_map.find( s );
+	if ( i != m_map.end() )
+	{
+		return i->second;
+	}
+	return 0;
+}
+
+void nv::string_table_creator::clear()
+{
+	m_map.clear();
+	m_offsets.clear();
+	m_data.clear();
+}
+
