diff --git a/include/osg/StateSet b/include/osg/StateSet
index eb8910324..79683a602 100644
--- a/include/osg/StateSet
+++ b/include/osg/StateSet
@@ -320,7 +320,11 @@ class OSG_EXPORT StateSet : public Object
 
         /** Get Uniform for specified name.
           * Returns NULL if no matching Uniform is contained within StateSet.*/
-        UniformBase* getUniform(const std::string& name);
+        UniformBase* getUniformBase(const std::string& name);
+
+        /** Get Uniform for specified name.
+          * Returns NULL if no matching Uniform is contained within StateSet.*/
+        Uniform* getUniform(const std::string& name) { return dynamic_cast<Uniform*>(getUniformBase(name)); }
 
         /** Get Uniform for specified name, if one is not available create it, add it to this StateSet and return a pointer to it.*/
         Uniform* getOrCreateUniform(const std::string& name, Uniform::Type type, unsigned int numElements=1);
@@ -347,7 +351,13 @@ class OSG_EXPORT StateSet : public Object
 
         /** Get const Uniform for specified name.
           * Returns NULL if no matching Uniform is contained within StateSet.*/
-        const UniformBase* getUniform(const std::string& name) const;
+        const UniformBase* getUniformBase(const std::string& name) const;
+
+
+        /** Get const Uniform for specified name.
+          * Returns NULL if no matching Uniform is contained within StateSet.*/
+        const Uniform* getUniform(const std::string& name) const { return dynamic_cast<const Uniform*>(getUniformBase(name)); }
+
 
         /** Get specified RefUniformPair for specified Uniform name.
           * Returns NULL if no Uniform is contained within StateSet.*/
diff --git a/src/osg/StateSet.cpp b/src/osg/StateSet.cpp
index fbf5bbef7..3e0f68606 100644
--- a/src/osg/StateSet.cpp
+++ b/src/osg/StateSet.cpp
@@ -1341,7 +1341,7 @@ void StateSet::removeUniform(UniformBase* uniform)
     }
 }
 
-UniformBase* StateSet::getUniform(const std::string& name)
+UniformBase* StateSet::getUniformBase(const std::string& name)
 {
     UniformList::iterator itr = _uniformList.find(name);
     if (itr!=_uniformList.end()) return itr->second.first.get();
@@ -1367,7 +1367,7 @@ Uniform* StateSet::getOrCreateUniform(const std::string& name, Uniform::Type typ
 }
 
 
-const UniformBase* StateSet::getUniform(const std::string& name) const
+const UniformBase* StateSet::getUniformBase(const std::string& name) const
 {
     UniformList::const_iterator itr = _uniformList.find(name);
     if (itr!=_uniformList.end()) return itr->second.first.get();