diff --git a/examples/osgviewerGLUT/osgviewerGLUT.cpp b/examples/osgviewerGLUT/osgviewerGLUT.cpp
index e81217311..adb7f17ea 100644
--- a/examples/osgviewerGLUT/osgviewerGLUT.cpp
+++ b/examples/osgviewerGLUT/osgviewerGLUT.cpp
@@ -91,14 +91,9 @@ int main( int argc, char **argv )
     glutMotionFunc( mousemove );
     glutKeyboardFunc( keyboard );
 
-    window = new osgViewer::GraphicsWindowEmbedded(100,100,800,600);
-
     // create the view of the scene.
     viewer = new osgViewer::Viewer;
-    viewer->getCamera()->setGraphicsContext(window.get());
-    viewer->getCamera()->setViewport(new osg::Viewport(0,0,800,600));
-    viewer->setThreadingModel(osgViewer::Viewer::SingleThreaded);
-
+    window = viewer->setUpViewerAsEmbeddedInWindow(100,100,800,600);
     viewer->setSceneData(loadedModel.get());
     viewer->setCameraManipulator(new osgGA::TrackballManipulator);
     viewer->addEventHandler(new osgViewer::StatsHandler);
diff --git a/examples/osgviewerSDL/osgviewerSDL.cpp b/examples/osgviewerSDL/osgviewerSDL.cpp
index 9b9d2f2f2..64f5ebb30 100644
--- a/examples/osgviewerSDL/osgviewerSDL.cpp
+++ b/examples/osgviewerSDL/osgviewerSDL.cpp
@@ -108,15 +108,12 @@ int main( int argc, char **argv )
     // If we used 0 to set the fields, query the values so we can pass it to osgViewer
     windowWidth = screen->w;
     windowHeight = screen->h;
-    osg::ref_ptr<osgViewer::GraphicsWindowEmbedded> gw = new osgViewer::GraphicsWindowEmbedded(0,0,windowWidth,windowHeight);
     
     osgViewer::Viewer viewer;
-    viewer.getCamera()->setGraphicsContext(gw.get());
-    viewer.getCamera()->setViewport(new osg::Viewport(0,0,windowWidth,windowHeight));
+    osg::ref_ptr<osgViewer::GraphicsWindowEmbedded> gw = viewer.setUpViewerAsEmbeddedInWindow(0,0,windowWidth,windowHeight);
     viewer.setSceneData(loadedModel.get());
     viewer.setCameraManipulator(new osgGA::TrackballManipulator);
     viewer.addEventHandler(new osgViewer::StatsHandler);
-    viewer.setThreadingModel(osgViewer::Viewer::SingleThreaded);
     viewer.realize();
 
     bool done = false;
diff --git a/include/osgViewer/Viewer b/include/osgViewer/Viewer
index 04454f065..0a1b9a054 100644
--- a/include/osgViewer/Viewer
+++ b/include/osgViewer/Viewer
@@ -47,8 +47,15 @@ class OSGVIEWER_EXPORT Viewer : public osgViewer::View
         const osg::FrameStamp* getFrameStamp() const { return _frameStamp.get(); }
 
 
+        /** Set the sene graph data that viewer with view.*/
         virtual void setSceneData(osg::Node* node);
 
+
+        /** Convinience method for setting up the viewer so it can be used embedded in an external managed window.
+          * Returns the GraphicsWindowEmbedded that can be used by applications to pass in events to the viewer. */
+        virtual GraphicsWindowEmbedded* setUpViewerAsEmbeddedInWindow(int x, int y, int width, int height);
+
+
         enum ThreadingModel
         {
             SingleThreaded,
diff --git a/src/osgViewer/Viewer.cpp b/src/osgViewer/Viewer.cpp
index 4f65600d8..f0a32ab57 100644
--- a/src/osgViewer/Viewer.cpp
+++ b/src/osgViewer/Viewer.cpp
@@ -773,6 +773,15 @@ void Viewer::setSceneData(osg::Node* node)
     setUpRenderingSupport();
 }
 
+GraphicsWindowEmbedded* Viewer::setUpViewerAsEmbeddedInWindow(int x, int y, int width, int height)
+{
+    setThreadingModel(SingleThreaded);
+    osgViewer::GraphicsWindowEmbedded* gw = new osgViewer::GraphicsWindowEmbedded(x,y,width,height);
+    getCamera()->setViewport(new osg::Viewport(0,0,width,height));
+    getCamera()->setGraphicsContext(gw);
+    return gw;
+}
+
 void Viewer::setThreadingModel(ThreadingModel threadingModel)
 {
     if (_threadingModel == threadingModel) return;