diff --git a/engine/common/com_mesh.c b/engine/common/com_mesh.c
index c66de8cfc..fc24205b0 100644
--- a/engine/common/com_mesh.c
+++ b/engine/common/com_mesh.c
@@ -5673,12 +5673,13 @@ qboolean Mod_FrameInfoForNum(model_t *model, int surfaceidx, int num, char **nam
 		if (!inf || num >= inf->numanimations)
 			return false;
 		group = inf->ofsanimations;
+		group += num;
 
-		*name = group[num].name;
-		*numframes = group[num].numposes;
-		*loop = group[num].loop;
+		*name = group->name;
+		*numframes = group->numposes;
+		*loop = group->loop;
 		*duration = group->numposes/group->rate;
-		*act = group[num].action;
+		*act = group->action;
 		return true;
 	}
 #ifdef HALFLIFEMODELS
@@ -8218,6 +8219,17 @@ static void Mod_CleanWeights(const char *modelname, size_t numverts, vec4_t *owe
 		Con_DPrintf(CON_ERROR"%s has invalid vertex weights. Verticies will probably be attached to the wrong bones\n", modelname);
 }
 
+struct iqmstrings_s
+{
+	const char *base;
+	size_t size;
+};
+static const char *Mod_IQMString(struct iqmstrings_s *strings, int offset)
+{
+	if (offset < 0 || offset >= strings->size)
+		return "<BADSTRING>";
+	return strings->base + offset;
+}
 static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, size_t fsize)
 {
 	const struct iqmheader *h = (const struct iqmheader *)buffer;
@@ -8227,7 +8239,7 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 	const struct iqmanim *anim;
 	const struct iqmext_fte_mesh *ftemesh;
 	const struct iqmext_fte_event *fteevents;
-	const char *strings;
+	struct iqmstrings_s strings;
 
 	const unsigned int *fteskincount;
 	const struct iqmext_fte_skin_meshskin *fteskins;
@@ -8363,7 +8375,8 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	strings = buffer + h->ofs_text;
+	strings.base = buffer + h->ofs_text;
+	strings.size = h->num_text;
 
 	/*try to completely disregard all the info the creator carefully added to their model...*/
 	numgroups = 0;
@@ -8385,7 +8398,7 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 			framegroups[i].loop = !!(LittleLong(anim[i].flags) & IQM_LOOP);
 			framegroups[i].action = -1;
 			framegroups[i].actionweight = 0;
-			Q_strncpyz(framegroups[i].name, strings+anim[i].name, sizeof(fgroup[i].name));
+			Q_strncpyz(framegroups[i].name, Mod_IQMString(&strings, anim[i].name), sizeof(fgroup[i].name));
 		}
 	}
 	else
@@ -8467,7 +8480,7 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 		//joint info (mesh)
 		for (i = 0; i < h->num_joints; i++)
 		{
-			Q_strncpyz(bones[i].name, strings+ijoint[i].name, sizeof(bones[i].name));
+			Q_strncpyz(bones[i].name, Mod_IQMString(&strings, ijoint[i].name), sizeof(bones[i].name));
 			bones[i].parent = ijoint[i].parent;
 
 			GenMatrixPosQuat3Scale(ijoint[i].translate, ijoint[i].rotate, ijoint[i].scale, mat);
@@ -8499,6 +8512,9 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 				GenMatrixPosQuat3Scale(pos, quat, scale, &opose[(i*h->num_poses+j)*12]);
 			}
 		}
+
+		if (framedata != (const unsigned short*)(buffer + h->ofs_frames) + h->num_framechannels*h->num_frames)
+			Con_Printf("%s: Incorrect number of framechannels found\n", mod->name);
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -8508,22 +8524,38 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 		vec4_t quat;
 		vec3_t scale;
 		float mat[12];
+		int fc;
 
 		//joint info (mesh)
 		for (i = 0; i < h->num_joints; i++)
 		{
-			Q_strncpyz(bones[i].name, strings+ijoint[i].name, sizeof(bones[i].name));
-			bones[i].parent = ijoint[i].parent;
+			Q_strncpyz(bones[i].name, Mod_IQMString(&strings, ijoint[i].name), sizeof(bones[i].name));
 
 			GenMatrixPosQuat4Scale(ijoint[i].translate, ijoint[i].rotate, ijoint[i].scale, mat);
 
-			if (ijoint[i].parent >= 0)
+			if (ijoint[i].parent >= 0 && ijoint[i].parent < i)
+			{
+				bones[i].parent = ijoint[i].parent;
 				Matrix3x4_Multiply(mat, &oposebase[ijoint[i].parent*12], &oposebase[i*12]);
+			}
 			else
+			{
 				memcpy(&oposebase[i*12], mat, sizeof(mat));
+				bones[i].parent = -1;
+			}
 			Matrix3x4_Invert_Simple(&oposebase[i*12], bones[i].inverse);
 		}
 
+		for (fc = 0, j = 0, p = ipose; j < h->num_poses; j++, p++)
+		{
+			for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
+				if (p->mask & (1<<i))
+					fc++;
+		}
+		if (fc != h->num_framechannels)
+			Con_Printf("%s: Incorrect number of framechannels found (%i, expected %i)\n", mod->name, h->num_framechannels, fc);
+		else
+
 		//pose info (anim)
 		for (i = 0; i < h->num_frames; i++)
 		{
@@ -8592,8 +8624,8 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 		{
 			oevent->timestamp = fteevents->timestamp;
 			oevent->code = fteevents->evcode;
-			oevent->data = ZG_Malloc(&mod->memgroup, strlen(strings+fteevents->evdata_str)+1);
-			strcpy(oevent->data, strings+fteevents->evdata_str);
+			oevent->data = ZG_Malloc(&mod->memgroup, strlen(Mod_IQMString(&strings, fteevents->evdata_str))+1);
+			strcpy(oevent->data, Mod_IQMString(&strings, fteevents->evdata_str));
 			link = &fgroup[fteevents->anim].events;
 			while (*link && (*link)->timestamp <= oevent->timestamp)
 				link = &(*link)->next;
@@ -8641,7 +8673,7 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 	{
 		if (h->num_meshes)
 		{
-			Mod_DefaultMesh(&gai[i], strings+mesh[i].name, i);
+			Mod_DefaultMesh(&gai[i], Mod_IQMString(&strings, mesh[i].name), i);
 			firstvert = LittleLong(mesh[i].first_vertex);
 			numverts = LittleLong(mesh[i].num_vertexes);
 			numtris = LittleLong(mesh[i].num_triangles);
@@ -8704,10 +8736,10 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 					skin->frame = ZG_Malloc(&mod->memgroup, sizeof(*skin->frame)*skin->numframes);
 					for (t = 0; t < skin->numframes; t++, sf++)
 					{
-						Q_strncpyz(skin->frame[t].shadername, strings+sf->material_idx, sizeof(skin->frame[t].shadername));
+						Q_strncpyz(skin->frame[t].shadername, Mod_IQMString(&strings, sf->material_idx), sizeof(skin->frame[t].shadername));
 						if (sf->shadertext_idx && sf->shadertext_idx<h->num_text)
 						{
-							const char *stxt = strings+sf->shadertext_idx;
+							const char *stxt = Mod_IQMString(&strings, sf->shadertext_idx);
 							skin->frame[t].defaultshader = strcpy(ZG_Malloc(&mod->memgroup, strlen(stxt)+1), stxt);
 						}
 					}
@@ -8718,7 +8750,7 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 					skin->numframes = 1;	//non-sequenced skins.
 
 					skin->frame = skinframe = ZG_Malloc(&mod->memgroup, sizeof(*skin->frame)*skin->numframes);
-					Q_strncpyz(skinframe->shadername, strings+mesh[i].material, sizeof(skinframe->shadername));
+					Q_strncpyz(skinframe->shadername, Mod_IQMString(&strings, mesh[i].material), sizeof(skinframe->shadername));
 				}
 			}
 			gai[i].numskins = skin-gai[i].ofsskins;
@@ -8743,7 +8775,7 @@ static galiasinfo_t *Mod_ParseIQMMeshModel(model_t *mod, const char *buffer, siz
 		}
 		gai[i].numindexes = idx - gai[i].ofs_indexes;
 		if (gai[i].numindexes != numtris*3)
-			Con_Printf("%s(%s|%s): Dropped %u of %u triangles due to index size limit\n", mod->name, gai[i].surfacename,strings+mesh[i].material, numtris-gai[i].numindexes/3, numtris);
+			Con_Printf("%s(%s|%s): Dropped %u of %u triangles due to index size limit\n", mod->name, gai[i].surfacename,Mod_IQMString(&strings, mesh[i].material), numtris-gai[i].numindexes/3, numtris);
 
 		/*verts*/
 		gai[i].shares_verts = i;