diff --git a/src/Process/3dTilesProcessing.js b/src/Process/3dTilesProcessing.js
index 771bc72c47..a8ca6f57f3 100644
--- a/src/Process/3dTilesProcessing.js
+++ b/src/Process/3dTilesProcessing.js
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ function requestNewTile(view, scheduler, geometryLayer, metadata, parent, redraw
     return scheduler.execute(command);
 }
 
+function getChildTiles(tile) {
+    // only keep children that have the same layer and a valid tileId
+    return tile.children.filter(n => n.layer == tile.layer && n.tileId);
+}
+
 function subdivideNode(context, layer, node, cullingTest) {
     if (node.additiveRefinement) {
         // Additive refinement can only fetch visible children.
@@ -58,7 +63,7 @@ function _subdivideNodeAdditive(context, layer, node, cullingTest) {
 }
 
 function _subdivideNodeSubstractive(context, layer, node) {
-    if (!node.pendingSubdivision && node.children.filter(n => n.layer == layer).length == 0) {
+    if (!node.pendingSubdivision && getChildTiles(node).length == 0) {
         const childrenTiles = layer.tileIndex.index[node.tileId].children;
         if (childrenTiles === undefined || childrenTiles.length === 0) {
             return;
@@ -165,7 +170,7 @@ function cleanup3dTileset(layer, n, depth = 0) {
             n.parent.remove(n);
         }
     } else {
-        const tiles = n.children.filter(n => n.tileId != undefined);
+        const tiles = getChildTiles(n);
         n.remove(...tiles);
     }
 }
@@ -294,11 +299,11 @@ export function process3dTilesNode(cullingTest, subdivisionTest) {
                 subdivideNode(context, layer, node, cullingTest);
                 // display iff children aren't ready
                 setDisplayed(node, node.pendingSubdivision || node.additiveRefinement);
-                returnValue = node.children.filter(n => n.layer == layer);
+                returnValue = getChildTiles(node);
             } else {
                 setDisplayed(node, true);
 
-                for (const n of node.children.filter(n => n.layer == layer)) {
+                for (const n of getChildTiles(node)) {
                     n.visible = false;
                     markForDeletion(layer, n);
                 }
@@ -306,7 +311,7 @@ export function process3dTilesNode(cullingTest, subdivisionTest) {
             // toggle wireframe
             if (node.content && node.content.visible) {
                 node.content.traverse((o) => {
-                    if (o.userData.layer == layer && o.material) {
+                    if (o.layer == layer && o.material) {
                         o.material.wireframe = layer.wireframe;
                     }
                 });
@@ -315,8 +320,6 @@ export function process3dTilesNode(cullingTest, subdivisionTest) {
         }
 
         markForDeletion(layer, node);
-
-        return undefined;
     };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/Provider/3dTilesProvider.js b/src/Provider/3dTilesProvider.js
index 841d6346f3..69818b88c2 100644
--- a/src/Provider/3dTilesProvider.js
+++ b/src/Provider/3dTilesProvider.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { init3dTilesLayer } from '../Process/3dTilesProcessing';
 import utf8Decoder from '../utils/Utf8Decoder';
 
 function $3dTilesIndex(tileset, baseURL) {
-    let counter = 0;
+    let counter = 1;
     this.index = {};
     const inverseTileTransform = new THREE.Matrix4();
     const recurse = function recurse_f(node, baseURL, parent) {
@@ -59,31 +59,33 @@ function $3dTilesIndex(tileset, baseURL) {
     };
 }
 
+export function getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers(meta) {
+    if (meta.content) {
+        const result = [];
+        meta.content.traverse((obj) => {
+            if (obj.isObject3D && obj.material && obj.layer == meta.layer) {
+                result.push(obj);
+            }
+        });
+        const p = meta.parent;
+        if (p && p.content) {
+            return {
+                elements: result,
+                parent: p.content,
+            };
+        } else {
+            return {
+                elements: result,
+            };
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 function preprocessDataLayer(layer, view, scheduler) {
     layer.sseThreshold = layer.sseThreshold || 16;
     layer.cleanupDelay = layer.cleanupDelay || 1000;
     // override the default method, since updated objects are metadata in this case
-    layer.getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers = (meta) => {
-        if (meta.content) {
-            const result = [];
-            meta.content.traverse((obj) => {
-                if (obj.isObject3D && obj.material && obj.userData.layer == layer) {
-                    result.push(obj);
-                }
-            });
-            const p = meta.parent;
-            if (p && p.content) {
-                return {
-                    elements: result,
-                    parent: p.content,
-                };
-            } else {
-                return {
-                    elements: result,
-                };
-            }
-        }
-    };
+    layer.getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers = getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers;
 
     layer._cleanableTiles = [];
     return Fetcher.json(layer.url, layer.networkOptions).then((tileset) => {
@@ -189,7 +191,7 @@ function executeCommand(command) {
     const setLayer = (obj) => {
         obj.layers.set(layer.threejsLayer);
         obj.userData.metadata = metadata;
-        obj.userData.layer = layer;
+        obj.layer = layer;
     };
     if (path) {
         // Check if we have relative or absolute url (with tileset's lopocs for example)
diff --git a/src/Provider/PointCloudProvider.js b/src/Provider/PointCloudProvider.js
index 0a3275bb3a..e7ceae0d21 100644
--- a/src/Provider/PointCloudProvider.js
+++ b/src/Provider/PointCloudProvider.js
@@ -142,6 +142,22 @@ function addPickingAttribute(points) {
     return points;
 }
 
+export function getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers(meta) {
+    if (meta.obj) {
+        const p = meta.parent;
+        if (p && p.obj) {
+            return {
+                element: meta.obj,
+                parent: p.obj,
+            };
+        } else {
+            return {
+                element: meta.obj,
+            };
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 export default {
     preprocessDataLayer(layer) {
         if (!layer.file) {
@@ -176,21 +192,7 @@ export default {
         layer.postUpdate = PointCloudProcessing.postUpdate;
 
         // override the default method, since updated objects are metadata in this case
-        layer.getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers = (meta) => {
-            if (meta.obj) {
-                const p = meta.parent;
-                if (p && p.obj) {
-                    return {
-                        element: meta.obj,
-                        parent: p.obj,
-                    };
-                } else {
-                    return {
-                        element: meta.obj,
-                    };
-                }
-            }
-        };
+        layer.getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers = getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers;
 
         // this probably needs to be moved to somewhere else
         layer.pickObjectsAt = (view, mouse, radius) => Picking.pickPointsAt(view, mouse, radius, layer);
diff --git a/test/3dtilesprovider_unit_test.js b/test/3dtilesprovider_unit_test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..24045a29e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/3dtilesprovider_unit_test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/* global describe, it */
+import assert from 'assert';
+import { Group, Mesh } from 'three';
+import { getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers } from '../src/Provider/3dTilesProvider';
+
+describe('getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers', function () {
+    it('should correctly return all children', function () {
+        const layer = { };
+        const tile = {
+            content: new Group(),
+            layer,
+        };
+
+        for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+            const mesh = new Mesh();
+            mesh.layer = layer;
+            tile.content.add(mesh);
+        }
+
+        const result = getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers(tile);
+        assert.ok(Array.isArray(result.elements));
+        assert.ok(result.elements.length, 3);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/test/pointcloudprovider_unit_test.js b/test/pointcloudprovider_unit_test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2888e3fb9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/pointcloudprovider_unit_test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/* global describe, it */
+import assert from 'assert';
+import { getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers } from '../src/Provider/PointCloudProvider';
+
+describe('getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers', function () {
+    it('should correctly no-parent for the root', function () {
+        const meta = {
+            obj: 'a',
+        };
+        assert.equal(getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers(meta).element, 'a');
+    });
+    it('should correctly return the element and its parent', function () {
+        const meta = {
+            obj: 'a',
+            parent: {
+                obj: 'b',
+            },
+        };
+        const result = getObjectToUpdateForAttachedLayers(meta);
+        assert.equal(result.element, 'a');
+        assert.equal(result.parent, 'b');
+    });
+});
diff --git a/utils/debug/3dTilesDebug.js b/utils/debug/3dTilesDebug.js
index 7f4eefe8ce..b6999ecc00 100644
--- a/utils/debug/3dTilesDebug.js
+++ b/utils/debug/3dTilesDebug.js
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ export default function create3dTilesDebugUI(datDebugTool, view, _3dTileslayer)
                 }
 
                 if (helper) {
-                    helper.userData.layer = layer;
+                    helper.layer = layer;
                     // add the ability to hide all the debug obj for one layer at once
                     const l3js = layer.threejsLayer;
                     helper.layers.set(l3js);
diff --git a/utils/debug/PointCloudDebug.js b/utils/debug/PointCloudDebug.js
index 5f48574830..ededca3378 100644
--- a/utils/debug/PointCloudDebug.js
+++ b/utils/debug/PointCloudDebug.js
@@ -51,11 +51,11 @@ export default {
                 for (const pts of layer.group.children) {
                     pts.material.visible = false;
                     for (const name of stickies) {
-                        if (pts.owner.name == name) {
+                        if (pts.userData.metadata.name == name) {
                             pts.material.visible = true;
-                        } else if (!isInHierarchy(pts.owner, name)) {
+                        } else if (!isInHierarchy(pts.userData.metadata, name)) {
                             continue;
-                        } else if (pts.owner.name.length < name.length) {
+                        } else if (pts.userData.metadata.name.length < name.length) {
                             pts.material.visible = layer.dbgDisplayParents;
                             break;
                         } else {