diff --git a/modules/gfx/pymod/export_entity.cc b/modules/gfx/pymod/export_entity.cc
index 0767825bdb12415a5eca9477e5ea5f56e20b7015..6202bd1cc4d353d61b673c78d68b402ecbc7b137 100644
--- a/modules/gfx/pymod/export_entity.cc
+++ b/modules/gfx/pymod/export_entity.cc
@@ -338,12 +338,14 @@ void export_Entity()
     .def("BlurSnapshot", &Entity::BlurSnapshot)
     .def("SetBlurFactors",&Entity::SetBlurFactors)
     .def("SetBlur",&Entity::SetBlur)
-    .def("GetBoundingBox",&Entity::GetBoundingBox)    
+    .def("GetBoundingBox",&Entity::GetBoundingBox)
+    .add_property("bounding_box",&Entity::GetBoundingBox)
     .def("SetSelection",&Entity::SetSelection)
     .def("GetSelection",&Entity::GetSelection)    
     .add_property("selection", &Entity::GetSelection, 
                   &set_selection)
     .def("GetView", &Entity::GetView)
+    .add_property("view",&Entity::GetView)
     .def("UpdateView", &Entity::UpdateView)
     .def("SetQuery", set_query)
     .def("SetQueryView",&Entity::SetQueryView)
@@ -356,7 +358,6 @@ void export_Entity()
     .def("SetRenderMode", set_rm3, (arg("mode"), arg("sel"), arg("keep")=false))    
     .def("SetEnableRenderMode", &Entity::SetEnableRenderMode)
     .def("IsRenderModeEnabled", &Entity::IsRenderModeEnabled)
-    .add_property("view", &Entity::GetView)
     .def("SetVisible", set_vis1, (arg("view"), arg("flag")=true))
     .def("SetVisible", set_vis2, (arg("sel"), arg("flag")=true))    
     .def("ColorBy", color_by_01)
diff --git a/modules/gfx/pymod/export_gfx_obj.cc b/modules/gfx/pymod/export_gfx_obj.cc
index 70458055914d2e74f399c318eae2b398e98a2943..1d2ed62cd446fa5689230ff4eeda73cb5f7d787a 100644
--- a/modules/gfx/pymod/export_gfx_obj.cc
+++ b/modules/gfx/pymod/export_gfx_obj.cc
@@ -77,21 +77,29 @@ void export_GfxObj()
     .def("ContextSwitch", &GfxObjBase::ContextSwitch)
     .def("SetRenderMode", &GfxObjBase::SetRenderMode)
     .def("GetRenderMode", &GfxObjBase::GetRenderMode)
-    .def("GetCenter",&GfxObjBase::GetCenter)
+    .def("GetCenter",&GfxObjBase::GetCenter) 
+    .add_property("center", &GfxObjBase::GetCenter)
     .def("SetLineWidth", &GfxObjBase::SetLineWidth)
     .def("SetPolyMode",&GfxObjBase::SetPolyMode)
-    .def("AALines",set_aalines)
+    .def("AALines",set_aalines) /* deprecated */
     .def("SetAALines",&GfxObjBase::SetAALines)
     .def("SetLineHalo",&GfxObjBase::SetLineHalo)
-    .def("Outline",set_outline)
+    .def("Outline",set_outline) /* deprecated */
     .def("SetOutline",&GfxObjBase::SetOutline)
+    .def("GetOutline",&GfxObjBase::GetOutline)
+    .add_property("outline",&GfxObjBase::GetOutline,&GfxObjBase::SetOutline)
     .def("SetOutlineMode",&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineMode)
+    .add_property("outline_mode",&GfxObjBase::GetOutlineMode,&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineMode)
     .def("SetOutlineWidth",&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineWidth)
+    .add_property("outline_width",&GfxObjBase::GetOutlineWidth,&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineWidth)
     .def("SetOutlineExpandFactor",&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineExpandFactor)
+    .add_property("outline_expand_factor",&GfxObjBase::GetOutlineExpandFactor,&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineExpandFactor)
     .def("SetOutlineExpandColor",&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineExpandColor)
+    .add_property("outline_expand_color",&GfxObjBase::GetOutlineExpandColor,&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineExpandColor)
+    .add_property("outline_color",&GfxObjBase::GetOutlineExpandColor,&GfxObjBase::SetOutlineExpandColor)
     .def("SetOpacity",&GfxObjBase::SetOpacity)
     .def("GetOpacity",&GfxObjBase::GetOpacity)
-    .add_property("center", &GfxObjBase::GetCenter)
+    .add_property("opacity",&GfxObjBase::GetOpacity,&GfxObjBase::SetOpacity)
     COLOR_BY_DEF()
    ;
   //register_ptr_to_python<GfxObjBaseP>();
diff --git a/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object.cc b/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object.cc
index 8a45e784b52cb9f18ba77fe354d9262bc355bc9c..a7f061e402af59d1a442648a6d238bb4cfc31283 100644
--- a/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object.cc
+++ b/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object.cc
@@ -322,18 +322,33 @@ void GfxObj::SetOutlineWidth(float f)
   Scene::Instance().RequestRedraw();
 }
 
+float GfxObj::GetOutlineWidth() const
+{
+  return va_.GetOutlineWidth();
+}
+
 void GfxObj::SetOutlineExpandFactor(float f)
 {
   va_.SetOutlineExpandFactor(f);
   Scene::Instance().RequestRedraw();
 }
 
+float GfxObj::GetOutlineExpandFactor() const
+{
+  return va_.GetOutlineExpandFactor();
+}
+
 void GfxObj::SetOutlineExpandColor(const Color& c)
 {
   va_.SetOutlineExpandColor(c);
   Scene::Instance().RequestRedraw();
 }
 
+Color GfxObj::GetOutlineExpandColor() const
+{
+  return va_.GetOutlineExpandColor();
+}
+
 void GfxObj::SetOpacity(float o)
 {
   opacity_=o;
diff --git a/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object.hh b/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object.hh
index b59009ba2a07700da07618bc95ac71a4c7496552..1865e7662607ae51624f2c0ec1e5898b41ecb21e 100644
--- a/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object.hh
+++ b/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object.hh
@@ -75,10 +75,15 @@ public:
   virtual void SetAALines(bool f);
   virtual void SetLineHalo(float f);
   virtual void SetOutline(bool f);
+  virtual bool GetOutline() const {return outline_flag_;};
   virtual void SetOutlineMode(int m);
+  virtual int GetOutlineMode() const {return outline_mode_;}
   virtual void SetOutlineWidth(float f);
+  virtual float GetOutlineWidth() const;
   virtual void SetOutlineExpandFactor(float f);
+  virtual float GetOutlineExpandFactor() const;
   virtual void SetOutlineExpandColor(const Color& c);
+  virtual Color GetOutlineExpandColor() const;
   virtual void SetOpacity(float f);
   virtual float GetOpacity() const {return opacity_;}
   virtual void ColorBy(const mol::EntityView& ev, 
diff --git a/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object_base.hh b/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object_base.hh
index 7884c7de4744c6a0598ec9b1c35578c72b9d0c1a..eb6c7c21743805e237377bc64e15ced0d61f3885 100644
--- a/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object_base.hh
+++ b/modules/gfx/src/gfx_object_base.hh
@@ -91,14 +91,26 @@ class DLLEXPORT_OST_GFX GfxObjBase: public GfxNode
 
   /// \brief turn outline rendering on or off
   virtual void SetOutline(bool f) = 0;
-  /// \brief set outline mode
+  /// \brief get state of outline rendering
+  virtual bool GetOutline() const = 0;
+  /// \brief set outline mode, 1, 2 or 3
   virtual void SetOutlineMode(int m) = 0;
-  /// \brief set outline width (modes 1 + 2)
+  /// \brief get current outline mode
+  virtual int GetOutlineMode() const = 0;
+  /// \brief set outline width in pixels (modes 1 + 2)
+  /// this does not scale with resolution
   virtual void SetOutlineWidth(float f) = 0;
-  /// \brief set outline tweak factor (mode 3)
+  /// \brief get current outline width
+  virtual float GetOutlineWidth() const = 0;
+  /// \brief set outline expansion factor (mode 3)
+  /// this scales with resolution
   virtual void SetOutlineExpandFactor(float f) = 0;
+  /// \brief get current outline expand factor (mode 3)
+  virtual float GetOutlineExpandFactor() const = 0;
   /// \brief set outline color (mode 3)
   virtual void SetOutlineExpandColor(const Color& c) = 0;
+  /// \brief get current outline color (mode 3)
+  virtual Color GetOutlineExpandColor() const = 0;
 
   /// \brief set opacity (1 = no transparency)
   virtual void SetOpacity(float f) = 0;
diff --git a/modules/gfx/src/vertex_array.hh b/modules/gfx/src/vertex_array.hh
index 1a945f7cf6094738b0a539bfad19d72ee1767d39..3d24320e7900985df54c352135b35e173e488d5c 100644
--- a/modules/gfx/src/vertex_array.hh
+++ b/modules/gfx/src/vertex_array.hh
@@ -107,10 +107,14 @@ class DLLEXPORT_OST_GFX IndexedVertexArray {
   void SetLineHalo(float lh);
 
   void SetOutlineMode(int m);
+  int GetOutlineMode() const {return outline_mode_;}
   void SetOutlineWidth(float f);
+  float GetOutlineWidth() const {return outline_width_;}
   void SetOutlineMaterial(const Material& m);
   void SetOutlineExpandFactor(float f);
+  float GetOutlineExpandFactor() const {return outline_exp_factor_;}
   void SetOutlineExpandColor(const Color& c);
+  Color GetOutlineExpandColor() const {return outline_exp_color_;}
 
   // vertex, normal, color and texcoord (T2F_C4F_N3F_V3F)
   VertexID Add(const geom::Vec3& vert, const geom::Vec3& norm, const Color& col, const geom::Vec2& tex=geom::Vec2());