diff --git a/Effects/ambient.eff b/Effects/ambient.eff
index e7ccbb428..c7e506c03 100644
--- a/Effects/ambient.eff
+++ b/Effects/ambient.eff
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <PropertyList>
 	<name>Effects/ambient</name>
+	<parameters>
+		<ambient-occlusion type="bool"><use>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion</use></ambient-occlusion>
+	</parameters>
 	<technique n="11">
 		<pass>
 			<lighting>false</lighting>
@@ -65,6 +68,11 @@
 				<type>sampler-2d</type>
 				<value type="int">4</value>
 			</uniform>
+			<uniform>
+				<name>ambientOcclusion</name>
+				<type>bool</type>
+				<value type="bool"><use>ambient-occlusion</use></value>
+			</uniform>
 			<!-- The following uniforms are automatically defined and initialized :
 				- fg_SunAmbientColor
 				- fg_SunDiffuseColor
diff --git a/Effects/default-pipeline.xml b/Effects/default-pipeline.xml
index a4d88f163..e7d4d4ff1 100644
--- a/Effects/default-pipeline.xml
+++ b/Effects/default-pipeline.xml
@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@
 	</buffer>
 	<buffer>
 		<name>normal</name>
+		<condition>
+			<equal>
+				<value type="bool">true</value>
+				<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/no-16bit-buffer</property>
+			</equal>
+		</condition>
 		<internal-format>rgba8</internal-format>
 		<source-format>rgba</source-format>
 		<source-type>unsigned-byte</source-type>
@@ -20,6 +26,22 @@
 		<scale-factor>1.0</scale-factor>
 		<wrap-mode>clamp-to-border</wrap-mode>
 	</buffer>
+	<buffer>
+		<name>normal</name>
+		<condition>
+			<equal>
+				<value type="bool">false</value>
+				<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/no-16bit-buffer</property>
+			</equal>
+		</condition>
+		<internal-format>rg16</internal-format>
+		<source-format>rg</source-format>
+		<source-type>unsigned-short</source-type>
+		<width>screen</width>
+		<height>screen</height>
+		<scale-factor>1.0</scale-factor>
+		<wrap-mode>clamp-to-border</wrap-mode>
+	</buffer>
 	<buffer>
 		<name>shadow</name>
 		<internal-format>depth-component32</internal-format>
@@ -55,6 +77,9 @@
 	</buffer>
 	<buffer>
 		<name>ao-1</name>
+		<condition>
+			<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion-buffers</property>
+		</condition>
 		<internal-format>rgba8</internal-format>
 		<source-format>rgba</source-format>
 		<source-type>unsigned-byte</source-type>
@@ -65,6 +90,9 @@
 	</buffer>
 	<buffer>
 		<name>ao-2</name>
+		<condition>
+			<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion-buffers</property>
+		</condition>
 		<internal-format>rgba8</internal-format>
 		<source-format>rgba</source-format>
 		<source-type>unsigned-byte</source-type>
@@ -75,6 +103,9 @@
 	</buffer>
 	<buffer>
 		<name>ao-3</name>
+		<condition>
+			<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion-buffers</property>
+		</condition>
 		<internal-format>rgba8</internal-format>
 		<source-format>rgba</source-format>
 		<source-type>unsigned-byte</source-type>
@@ -126,6 +157,9 @@
 	<stage>
 		<name>ssao-1</name>
 		<type>fullscreen</type>
+		<condition>
+			<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion-buffers</property>
+		</condition>
 		<order-num>2</order-num>
 		<effect>Effects/ssao</effect>
 		<needs-du-dv>true</needs-du-dv>
@@ -138,6 +172,9 @@
 	<stage>
 		<name>ssao-2</name>
 		<type>fullscreen</type>
+		<condition>
+			<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion-buffers</property>
+		</condition>
 		<order-num>3</order-num>
 		<effect>Effects/ssao-blur-1</effect>
 		<scale-factor>0.25</scale-factor>
@@ -149,6 +186,9 @@
 	<stage>
 		<name>ssao-3</name>
 		<type>fullscreen</type>
+		<condition>
+			<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion-buffers</property>
+		</condition>
 		<order-num>4</order-num>
 		<effect>Effects/ssao-blur-2</effect>
 		<scale-factor>0.25</scale-factor>
diff --git a/Effects/display.eff b/Effects/display.eff
index facd16743..2f7ba410c 100644
--- a/Effects/display.eff
+++ b/Effects/display.eff
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 	<parameters>
 		<exposure type="float"><use>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/exposure</use></exposure>
 		<show-buffers type="bool"><use>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/show-buffers</use></show-buffers>
+		<ambient-occlusion type="bool"><use>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion-buffers</use></ambient-occlusion>
 	</parameters>
 	<technique n="11">
 		<pass>
@@ -85,6 +86,11 @@
 				<type>bool</type>
 				<value type="bool"><use>show-buffers</use></value>
 			</uniform>
+			<uniform>
+				<name>ambientOcclusion</name>
+				<type>bool</type>
+				<value type="bool"><use>ambient-occlusion</use></value>
+			</uniform>
 		</pass>
 	</technique>
 </PropertyList>
diff --git a/Nasal/gui.nas b/Nasal/gui.nas
index 5a3e570e0..d3bc3df1c 100644
--- a/Nasal/gui.nas
+++ b/Nasal/gui.nas
@@ -155,7 +155,8 @@ _setlistener("/sim/signals/nasal-dir-initialized", func {
     }
     menuEnable("autopilot", isAutopilotMenuEnabled() );
     menuEnable("joystick-info", size(props.globals.getNode("/input/joysticks").getChildren("js")));
-    menuEnable("rendering-buffers", getprop("/sim/rendering/rembrandt"));
+    menuEnable("ambient-occlusion", getprop("/sim/rendering/rembrandt/enabled") and getprop("/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion-buffers"));
+    menuEnable("rendering-buffers", getprop("/sim/rendering/rembrandt/enabled"));
 
     # frame-per-second display
     var fps = props.globals.getNode("/sim/rendering/fps-display", 1);
diff --git a/Shaders/ambient.frag b/Shaders/ambient.frag
index 4d7c669a2..b430b2fef 100644
--- a/Shaders/ambient.frag
+++ b/Shaders/ambient.frag
@@ -3,13 +3,16 @@ uniform sampler2D ao_tex;
 uniform sampler2D normal_tex;
 uniform sampler2D spec_emis_tex;
 uniform vec4 fg_SunAmbientColor;
+uniform bool ambientOcclusion;
 void main() {
     vec2 coords = gl_TexCoord[0].xy;
     float initialized = texture2D( spec_emis_tex, coords ).a;
     if ( initialized < 0.1 )
         discard;
     vec3 tcolor = texture2D( color_tex, coords ).rgb;
-    float ao = texture2D( ao_tex, coords ).r;
+    float ao = 1.0;
+    if (ambientOcclusion) {
+        ao = texture2D( ao_tex, coords ).r;
+    }
     gl_FragColor = vec4(tcolor*fg_SunAmbientColor.rgb*ao, 1.0);
-//    gl_FragColor = vec4(tcolor*fg_SunAmbientColor.rgb, 1.0);
 }
diff --git a/Shaders/display.frag b/Shaders/display.frag
index 8501d340c..298fab549 100644
--- a/Shaders/display.frag
+++ b/Shaders/display.frag
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ uniform sampler2D ao_tex;
 uniform float exposure;
 uniform bool showBuffers;
 uniform bool fg_DepthInColor;
+uniform bool ambientOcclusion;
 
 vec3 HDR(vec3 L) {
     L = L * exposure;
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ void main() {
             color = texture2D( color_tex, (coords - vec2( 0.8, 0.0 )) * 5.0 );
         } else if (coords.x < 0.2 && coords.y >= 0.8 && fg_DepthInColor) {
             color = texture2D( depth_tex, (coords - vec2( 0.0, 0.8 )) * 5.0 );
-        } else if (coords.x < 0.2 && coords.y >= 0.8) {
+        } else if (coords.x < 0.2 && coords.y >= 0.8 && ambientOcclusion) {
             color = texture2D( ao_tex, (coords - vec2( 0.0, 0.8 )) * 5.0 );
         } else {
             color = texture2D( lighting_tex, coords ) /* + texture2D( bloom_tex, coords ) */;
diff --git a/Translations/en/menu.xml b/Translations/en/menu.xml
index a19aa423f..fc7429a64 100644
--- a/Translations/en/menu.xml
+++ b/Translations/en/menu.xml
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@
 	<logging>Logging</logging>
 	<local_weather>Local Weather (Test)</local_weather>
 	<print-scene-info>Print Visible Scene Info</print-scene-info>
+	<ambient-occlusion>Hide/Show Ambient occlusion</ambient-occlusion>
 	<rendering-buffers>Hide/Show Rendering Buffers</rendering-buffers>
 
 	<!-- Help menu -->
diff --git a/gui/menubar.xml b/gui/menubar.xml
index 28cfdf706..1a99d9868 100644
--- a/gui/menubar.xml
+++ b/gui/menubar.xml
@@ -658,6 +658,15 @@
 			</binding>
 		</item>
 
+		<item>
+			<name>ambient-occlusion</name>
+			<binding>
+				<command>property-toggle</command>
+				<property>/sim/rendering/rembrandt/ambient-occlusion</property>
+			</binding>
+			<enabled>false</enabled>
+		</item>
+
 		<item>
 			<name>rendering-buffers</name>
 			<binding>
diff --git a/preferences.xml b/preferences.xml
index 7d07b7497..1542e4ea7 100644
--- a/preferences.xml
+++ b/preferences.xml
@@ -67,10 +67,12 @@ Started September 2000 by David Megginson, david@megginson.com
 			<rembrandt>
 				<enabled type="bool">false</enabled>
 				<renderer>default-pipeline</renderer>
-				<show-buffers type="bool" userarchive="y">true</show-buffers>
+				<show-buffers type="bool" userarchive="y">false</show-buffers>
 				<ambient-occlusion type="bool" userarchive="y">false</ambient-occlusion>
+				<ambient-occlusion-buffers type="bool">true</ambient-occlusion-buffers>
 				<exposure type="float" userarchive="y">1.0</exposure>
 				<use-color-for-depth type="bool">false</use-color-for-depth>
+				<no-16bit-buffer type="bool">false</no-16bit-buffer>
 			</rembrandt>
 			<debug type="bool">false</debug>
 			<realism type="int">5</realism>