diff --git a/indra/newview/llfloatermodelpreview.cpp b/indra/newview/llfloatermodelpreview.cpp
index ae9350867fe89085d00183825ad4313d3c9fbf1f..1aafd52ee7f83105c16bffbc7698957388566032 100644
--- a/indra/newview/llfloatermodelpreview.cpp
+++ b/indra/newview/llfloatermodelpreview.cpp
@@ -348,6 +348,8 @@ void LLFloaterModelPreview::onUploadOptionChecked(LLUICtrl* ctrl)
 		auto name = ctrl->getName();
         // update the option and notifications
         // (this is a bit convoluted, because of the current structure of mModelPreview)
+        // FIX ME! mViewOption is malfunctioning here! mViewOption doesn't have values like "upload_skin"!
+        // This needs to translate values like "upload_skin" into "show_skin_weights"
         mModelPreview->mViewOption[name] = !mModelPreview->mViewOption[name];
         mModelPreview->refresh(); // a 'dirty' flag for render
         mModelPreview->resetPreviewTarget(); 
diff --git a/indra/newview/llmodelpreview.cpp b/indra/newview/llmodelpreview.cpp
index 04a818b2a424c2f4f72bf867a2c7323219a42b94..54350fc63d87fa2489d25c9b87553c9a35792336 100644
--- a/indra/newview/llmodelpreview.cpp
+++ b/indra/newview/llmodelpreview.cpp
@@ -180,6 +180,7 @@ LLModelPreview::LLModelPreview(S32 width, S32 height, LLFloater* fmp)
     , mResetJoints(false)
     , mModelNoErrors(true)
     , mLastJointUpdate(false)
+    , mFirstSkinUpdate(true)
     , mHasDegenerate(false)
     , mImporterDebug(LLCachedControl<bool>(gSavedSettings, "ImporterDebug", false))
 {
@@ -2799,11 +2800,22 @@ BOOL LLModelPreview::render()
         {
             if (flags == LEGACY_RIG_OK)
             {
+                if (mFirstSkinUpdate)
+                {
+                    // auto enable weight upload if weights are present
+                    // (note: all these UI updates need to be somewhere that is not render)
+                    mViewOption["show_skin_weight"] = true;
+                    skin_weight = true;
+                    fmp->childSetValue("upload_skin", true);
+                    mFirstSkinUpdate = false;
+                }
+
                 fmp->enableViewOption("show_skin_weight");
                 fmp->setViewOptionEnabled("show_joint_overrides", skin_weight);
                 fmp->setViewOptionEnabled("show_joint_positions", skin_weight);
                 mFMP->childEnable("upload_skin");
                 mFMP->childSetValue("show_skin_weight", skin_weight);
+
             }
             else if ((flags & LEGACY_RIG_FLAG_TOO_MANY_JOINTS) > 0)
             {
diff --git a/indra/newview/llmodelpreview.h b/indra/newview/llmodelpreview.h
index 9b8200ab8a46bc9e131d7917b8476f5d1fd00dc2..3664a27a72487d8c5faae31fd8ac7854fe9dd559 100644
--- a/indra/newview/llmodelpreview.h
+++ b/indra/newview/llmodelpreview.h
@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ class LLModelPreview : public LLViewerDynamicTexture, public LLMutex
     U32			mLegacyRigFlags;
 
     bool		mLastJointUpdate;
+    bool		mFirstSkinUpdate;
 
     JointNameSet		mJointsFromNode;
     JointTransformMap	mJointTransformMap;