diff --git a/Core/Code/Rendering/mitkVtkMapper.cpp b/Core/Code/Rendering/mitkVtkMapper.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..229bb12217
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Core/Code/Rendering/mitkVtkMapper.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+/*===================================================================
+
+The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK)
+
+Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center,
+Division of Medical and Biological Informatics.
+All rights reserved.
+
+This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without
+even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
+A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+
+See LICENSE.txt or http://www.mitk.org for details.
+
+===================================================================*/
+
+#include "mitkVtkMapper.h"
+
+mitk::VtkMapper::VtkMapper()
+{
+}
+
+mitk::VtkMapper::~VtkMapper()
+{
+}
+
+void mitk::VtkMapper::MitkRenderOverlay(BaseRenderer* renderer)
+{
+  if ( this->IsVisible(renderer)==false )
+    return;
+  if ( this->GetVtkProp(renderer)->GetVisibility() )
+  {
+    GetVtkProp(renderer)->RenderOverlay(renderer->GetVtkRenderer());
+  }
+}
+
+void mitk::VtkMapper::MitkRenderOpaqueGeometry(BaseRenderer* renderer)
+{
+  if ( this->IsVisible( renderer )==false )
+    return;
+  if ( this->GetVtkProp(renderer)->GetVisibility() )
+  {
+    GetVtkProp(renderer)->RenderOpaqueGeometry( renderer->GetVtkRenderer() );
+  }
+}
+
+void mitk::VtkMapper::MitkRenderTranslucentGeometry(BaseRenderer* renderer)
+{
+  if ( this->IsVisible(renderer)==false )
+    return;
+  if ( this->GetVtkProp(renderer)->GetVisibility() )
+  {
+    GetVtkProp(renderer)->RenderTranslucentPolygonalGeometry(renderer->GetVtkRenderer());
+  }
+}
+
+void mitk::VtkMapper::MitkRenderVolumetricGeometry(BaseRenderer* renderer)
+{
+  if(IsVisible(renderer)==false)
+    return;
+  if ( GetVtkProp(renderer)->GetVisibility() )
+  {
+    GetVtkProp(renderer)->RenderVolumetricGeometry(renderer->GetVtkRenderer());
+  }
+}
+
+bool mitk::VtkMapper::HasVtkProp( const vtkProp *prop, BaseRenderer *renderer )
+{
+  vtkProp *myProp = this->GetVtkProp( renderer );
+
+  // TODO: check if myProp is a vtkAssembly and if so, check if prop is contained in its leafs
+  return ( prop == myProp );
+}
+
+void mitk::VtkMapper::SetVtkMapperImmediateModeRendering(vtkMapper *mapper)
+{
+  if(mapper)
+    mapper->SetImmediateModeRendering(mitk::VtkPropRenderer::useImmediateModeRendering());
+}
+
+void mitk::VtkMapper::UpdateVtkTransform(mitk::BaseRenderer *renderer)
+{
+  vtkLinearTransform * vtktransform = GetDataNode()->GetVtkTransform(this->GetTimestep());
+
+  vtkProp3D *prop = dynamic_cast<vtkProp3D*>( GetVtkProp(renderer) );
+  if(prop)
+    prop->SetUserTransform(vtktransform);
+}
+
+void mitk::VtkMapper::ApplyProperties(vtkActor* actor, BaseRenderer* renderer)
+{
+  float rgba[4]={1.0f,1.0f,1.0f,1.0f};
+  // check for color prop and use it for rendering if it exists
+  this->GetColor(rgba, renderer);
+  // check for opacity prop and use it for rendering if it exists
+  this->GetOpacity(rgba[3], renderer);
+
+  double drgba[4]={rgba[0],rgba[1],rgba[2],rgba[3]};
+  actor->GetProperty()->SetColor(drgba);
+  actor->GetProperty()->SetOpacity(drgba[3]);
+}
+
+void mitk::VtkMapper::ReleaseGraphicsResources(vtkWindow * /*renWin*/)
+{
+/*
+  if(m_Prop3D)
+    m_Prop3D->ReleaseGraphicsResources(renWin);
+*/
+}
diff --git a/Core/Code/Rendering/mitkVtkMapper.h b/Core/Code/Rendering/mitkVtkMapper.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..011cb3524b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Core/Code/Rendering/mitkVtkMapper.h
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+/*===================================================================
+
+The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK)
+
+Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center,
+Division of Medical and Biological Informatics.
+All rights reserved.
+
+This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without
+even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
+A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+
+See LICENSE.txt or http://www.mitk.org for details.
+
+===================================================================*/
+
+// change number
+#ifndef VTKMAPPER_H_HEADER_INCLUDED_C1C5453B
+#define VTKMAPPER_H_HEADER_INCLUDED_C1C5453B
+
+#include <MitkExports.h>
+#include "mitkMapper.h"
+#include "mitkBaseRenderer.h"
+#include "mitkDataNode.h"
+//#include "mitkProperties.h"
+//#include "mitkAnnotationProperty.h"
+#include "mitkVtkPropRenderer.h"
+
+#include <vtkProp3D.h>
+//#include <vtkLODProp3D.h>
+#include <vtkActor.h>
+#include <vtkProperty.h>
+#include <vtkLinearTransform.h>
+#include <vtkMapper.h>
+#include <vtkPropAssembly.h>
+//#include <vtkFollower.h>
+//#include <vtkVectorText.h>
+#include <vtkPolyDataMapper.h>
+#include <vtkProp3DCollection.h>
+
+class vtkProp;
+class vtkProp3D;
+class vtkActor;
+class vtkProp3DCollection;
+
+namespace mitk {
+
+//##Documentation
+//## @brief Base class of all Mappers for 2D display
+//##
+//## @ingroup Mapper
+class MITK_CORE_EXPORT VtkMapper : public Mapper
+{
+  public:
+    mitkClassMacro(VtkMapper,Mapper);
+
+    virtual vtkProp* GetVtkProp(mitk::BaseRenderer* renderer) = 0;
+
+    static void SetVtkMapperImmediateModeRendering(vtkMapper *mapper);
+
+     /**
+     * \brief Returns whether this is an vtk-based mapper
+     */
+    virtual bool IsVtkBased() const { return true; }
+
+    virtual void MitkRenderOverlay(BaseRenderer* renderer);
+    virtual void MitkRenderOpaqueGeometry(BaseRenderer* renderer);
+    virtual void MitkRenderTranslucentGeometry(BaseRenderer* renderer);
+    virtual void MitkRenderVolumetricGeometry(BaseRenderer* renderer);
+
+    /** \brief Returns true if this mapper owns the specified vtkProp for
+    * the given BaseRenderer.
+    *
+    * Note: returns false by default; should be implemented for VTK-based
+    * Mapper subclasses. */
+    virtual bool HasVtkProp( const vtkProp *prop, BaseRenderer *renderer );
+
+    //##Documentation
+    //## @brief Set the vtkTransform of the m_Prop3D for
+    //## the current time step of \a renderer
+    //##
+    //## Called by mitk::VtkPropRenderer::Update before rendering
+    //##
+    virtual void UpdateVtkTransform(mitk::BaseRenderer *renderer);
+
+    //##Documentation
+    //## @brief Apply color and opacity read from the PropertyList
+    virtual void ApplyProperties(vtkActor* actor, mitk::BaseRenderer* renderer);
+
+    /**
+    * \brief Release vtk-based graphics resources. Must be overwritten in
+    * subclasses if vtkProps additional to m_Prop3D are used.
+    */
+    virtual void ReleaseGraphicsResources(vtkWindow *renWin);
+
+  protected:
+
+    VtkMapper();
+
+    virtual ~VtkMapper();
+
+};
+} // namespace mitk
+#endif /* VTKMAPPER_H_HEADER_INCLUDED_C1C5453B */