diff --git a/wrap/io_trimesh/import_ply.h b/wrap/io_trimesh/import_ply.h
index 51141538..5d3a7a4a 100644
--- a/wrap/io_trimesh/import_ply.h
+++ b/wrap/io_trimesh/import_ply.h
@@ -285,11 +285,13 @@ static const  PropDescriptor &VertDesc(int i)
 	return pv[i];
 }
 
-
+#define _FACEDESC_FIRST_  9 // the first descriptor with possible vertex indices
+#define _FACEDESC_LAST_  20
 static const  PropDescriptor &FaceDesc(int i)  
 {		
-	static const 	PropDescriptor qf[16]=
+	static const 	PropDescriptor qf[_FACEDESC_LAST_]=
 	{
+/*                                       on file 	     on memory                                             on file 	     on memory */
 /*  0 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_INT,   ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_UCHAR,ply::T_UCHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
 /*  1 */			{"face", "flags",          ply::T_INT,   ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,flags),     0,0,0,0,0  ,0},
 /*  2 */			{"face", "quality",        ply::T_FLOAT, ply::T_FLOAT, offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,q),         0,0,0,0,0  ,0},
@@ -302,10 +304,15 @@ static const  PropDescriptor &FaceDesc(int i)
 /*  9 */			{"face", "vertex_index",   ply::T_INT,   ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_UCHAR,ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)  ,0},
 /* 10 */			{"face", "vertex_index",   ply::T_INT,   ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_CHAR, ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
 /* 11 */			{"face", "vertex_index",   ply::T_INT,   ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_INT,  ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
+
 /* 12 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_INT,   ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_CHAR, ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
-/* 13 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_UINT,  ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_UCHAR,ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
-/* 14 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_UINT,  ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_INT,  ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
-/* 15 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_INT,   ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_INT,  ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
+/* 13 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_INT,   ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_INT,  ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
+/* 14 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_UINT,  ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_UCHAR,ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
+/* 15 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_UINT,  ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_CHAR, ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
+/* 16 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_UINT,  ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_INT,  ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
+/* 17 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_SHORT, ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_CHAR, ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
+/* 18 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_SHORT, ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_UCHAR,ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
+/* 18 */			{"face", "vertex_indices", ply::T_SHORT, ply::T_INT,   offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,v),		     1,0,ply::T_INT,  ply::T_CHAR,offsetof(LoadPly_FaceAux,size)   ,0},
 	};
 	return qf[i];
 }
@@ -470,10 +477,11 @@ static int Open( OpenMeshType &m, const char * filename, PlyInfo &pi )
 	if( pf.AddToRead(VertDesc(2))==-1 ) { pi.status = PlyInfo::E_NO_VERTEX; return pi.status; }
 	if( pf.AddToRead(FaceDesc(0))==-1 ) // Se fallisce si prova anche la sintassi di rapidform con index al posto di indices
 			{
-				int ii; const int FaceVariantNum = 7;
-				for(ii=0;ii< FaceVariantNum;++ii)
-					if( pf.AddToRead(FaceDesc(9+ii))!=-1 ) break;
-				if(ii==FaceVariantNum) if(pf.AddToRead(TristripDesc(0))==-1) // Se fallisce tutto si prova a vedere se ci sono tristrip alla levoy.
+				int ii; 
+				for(int ii=_FACEDESC_FIRST_;ii< _FACEDESC_LAST_;++ii)
+					if( pf.AddToRead(FaceDesc(ii))!=-1 ) break;
+					
+			  if(ii==_FACEDESC_LAST_) if(pf.AddToRead(TristripDesc(0))==-1) // Se fallisce tutto si prova a vedere se ci sono tristrip alla levoy.
 									{ 
 										pi.status = PlyInfo::E_NO_FACE;   
 										//return pi.status;  no face is not a critical error. let's continue.