diff --git a/src/pytorch_volumetric/sdf.py b/src/pytorch_volumetric/sdf.py
index c1221eb..230086f 100644
--- a/src/pytorch_volumetric/sdf.py
+++ b/src/pytorch_volumetric/sdf.py
@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ class SDFQuery(NamedTuple):
 
 
 class ObjectFactory(abc.ABC):
-    def __init__(self, name, scale=1.0, vis_frame_pos=(0, 0, 0), vis_frame_rot=(0, 0, 0, 1),
-                 plausible_suboptimality=0.001, **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, name='', scale=1.0, vis_frame_pos=(0, 0, 0), vis_frame_rot=(0, 0, 0, 1),
+                 plausible_suboptimality=0.001, mesh=None, **kwargs):
         self.name = name
         self.scale = scale if scale is not None else 1.0
         # frame from model's base frame to the simulation's use of the model
@@ -39,10 +39,11 @@ def __init__(self, name, scale=1.0, vis_frame_pos=(0, 0, 0), vis_frame_rot=(0, 0
         self.plausible_suboptimality = plausible_suboptimality
 
         # use external mesh library to compute closest point for non-convex meshes
-        self._mesh = None
+        self._mesh = mesh
         self._mesht = None
         self._raycasting_scene = None
         self._face_normals = None
+        self.precompute_sdf()
 
     def __reduce__(self):
         return partial(self.__class__, scale=self.scale, vis_frame_pos=self.vis_frame_pos,
@@ -67,10 +68,7 @@ def draw_mesh(self, dd, name, pose, rgba, object_id=None):
         return dd.draw_mesh(name, self.get_mesh_resource_filename(), pose, scale=self.scale, rgba=rgba,
                             object_id=object_id, vis_frame_pos=frame_pos, vis_frame_rot=self.vis_frame_rot)
 
-    def bounding_box(self, padding=0., padding_ratio=0.):
-        if self._mesh is None:
-            self.precompute_sdf()
-
+    def bounding_box(self, padding=0.):
         aabb = self._mesh.get_axis_aligned_bounding_box()
         world_min = aabb.get_min_bound()
         world_max = aabb.get_max_bound()
@@ -88,7 +86,10 @@ def center(self):
         return self._mesh.get_center()
 
     def precompute_sdf(self):
+        if self._mesh is not None:
+            return
         # scale mesh the approrpiate amount
+
         full_path = self.get_mesh_high_poly_resource_filename()
         full_path = os.path.expanduser(full_path)
         if not os.path.exists(full_path):
@@ -98,6 +99,7 @@ def precompute_sdf(self):
         scale_transform = np.eye(4)
         np.fill_diagonal(scale_transform[:3, :3], self.scale)
         self._mesh.transform(scale_transform)
+            
         # convert from mesh object frame to simulator object frame
         x, y, z, w = self.vis_frame_rot
         self._mesh = self._mesh.rotate(o3d.geometry.get_rotation_matrix_from_quaternion((w, x, y, z)),
@@ -112,8 +114,6 @@ def precompute_sdf(self):
 
     @tensor_utils.handle_batch_input(n=2)
     def _do_object_frame_closest_point(self, points_in_object_frame, compute_normal=False):
-        if self._mesh is None:
-            self.precompute_sdf()
 
         if torch.is_tensor(points_in_object_frame):
             dtype = points_in_object_frame.dtype
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ def object_frame_closest_point(self, points_in_object_frame, compute_normal=Fals
 
 
 class MeshObjectFactory(ObjectFactory):
-    def __init__(self, mesh_name, path_prefix='', **kwargs):
+    def __init__(self, mesh_name='', path_prefix='', **kwargs):
         self.path_prefix = path_prefix
         # whether to strip the package:// prefix from the mesh name, for example if we are loading a mesh manually
         # with a path prefix
diff --git a/src/pytorch_volumetric/visualization.py b/src/pytorch_volumetric/visualization.py
index b3abcb8..3f1f3ad 100644
--- a/src/pytorch_volumetric/visualization.py
+++ b/src/pytorch_volumetric/visualization.py
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ def draw_sdf_slice(s: sdf.ObjectFrameSDF, query_range, resolution=0.01, interior
                sdf_grad_uv[::subsample_n, ::subsample_n, shown_dims[0]],
                sdf_grad_uv[::subsample_n, ::subsample_n, shown_dims[1]], color='g')
     ax.clabel(cset2, cset2.levels, inline=True, fontsize=13, fmt=fmt)
+    plt.colorbar(cset1)
     # fig = plt.gcf()
     # fig.canvas.draw()
     plt.draw()