diff --git a/etc/tools/ParaView3Functions b/etc/tools/ParaView3Functions
index 0ce828de8a1f4a45083e759752d0fb2fb5bead49..7a3cd28e631cebd463a126ab1d714ae632f10fdc 100644
--- a/etc/tools/ParaView3Functions
+++ b/etc/tools/ParaView3Functions
@@ -51,10 +51,10 @@ setParaViewDirs()
         exit 1
     }
 
-    # ParaView_BINARY_DIR=$buildBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION-$OBJ_ADD
+    # ParaView_BINARY_DIR=$buildBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION${OBJ_ADD:+-$OBJ_ADD}
     ParaView_BINARY_DIR=$buildBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION
 
-    # ParaView_DIR=$installBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION-$OBJ_ADD
+    # ParaView_DIR=$installBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION${OBJ_ADD:+-$OBJ_ADD}
     ParaView_DIR=$installBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION
 
     export ParaView_SOURCE_DIR ParaView_BINARY_DIR ParaView_DIR
diff --git a/etc/tools/ParaViewFunctions b/etc/tools/ParaViewFunctions
index 3150d68a384148a7bce068ae89ddbaf69bdeacf9..37915f046545176dc0357c02860a70888aba4371 100644
--- a/etc/tools/ParaViewFunctions
+++ b/etc/tools/ParaViewFunctions
@@ -51,10 +51,10 @@ setParaViewDirs()
         exit 1
     }
 
-    # ParaView_BINARY_DIR=$buildBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION-$OBJ_ADD
+    # ParaView_BINARY_DIR=$buildBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION${OBJ_ADD:+-$OBJ_ADD}
     ParaView_BINARY_DIR=$buildBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION
 
-    # ParaView_DIR=$installBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION-$OBJ_ADD
+    # ParaView_DIR=$installBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION${OBJ_ADD:+-$OBJ_ADD}
     ParaView_DIR=$installBASE/ParaView-$ParaView_VERSION
 
     export ParaView_SOURCE_DIR ParaView_BINARY_DIR ParaView_DIR
@@ -151,7 +151,10 @@ addMpiSupport()
     OBJ_ADD="$OBJ_ADD-mpi"
 
     addCMakeVariable  "PARAVIEW_USE_MPI=ON VTK_USE_MPI=ON"
-    addCMakeVariable  "VTK_MPI_MAX_NUMPROCS=$MPI_MAX_PROCS"
+    if [ "${MPI_MAX_PROCS:=0}" -gt 1 ]
+    then
+        addCMakeVariable  "VTK_MPI_MAX_NUMPROCS=$MPI_MAX_PROCS"
+    fi
 }
 
 
diff --git a/makeParaView b/makeParaView
index d571eb31a53731b7195e712774bfcc3da04f1d57..3164fdef47347931b9c57145fb9d45002a2aeb62 100755
--- a/makeParaView
+++ b/makeParaView
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ wmakeCheckPwd "$WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR" || {
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 # MPI support:
+# use 0 or unset MPI_MAX_PROCS for no upper-limit
 withMPI=false
 MPI_MAX_PROCS=32
 
@@ -102,6 +103,8 @@ options:
   -gl2              with new rendering backend (if not already enabled)
   -mesa             with mesa (if not already enabled)
   -mpi              with mpi (if not already enabled)
+  -mpi=NPROCS       with mpi and max 'NPROCS' processes. NPROCS=0 for no
+                        upper-limit on processes.
   -python           with python (if not already enabled)
   -cmake PATH       with the cmake version corresponding to the cmake path given
   -qmake PATH       with the Qt version corresponding to the qmake path given
@@ -255,6 +258,10 @@ do
     -mpi)
         withMPI=true
         ;;
+    -mpi=[0-9]*) # mpi and max mpi processes
+        withMPI=true
+        MPI_MAX_PROCS="${1##*=}"
+        ;;
     -no-mpi)
         withMPI=false
         ;;
diff --git a/makeParaView.example b/makeParaView.example
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e51f2407ee25cf65e4eabc094e3f0bb39e22cb5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/makeParaView.example
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# An example for building particular combinations of ParaView with
+# - mpi (0 = no upper-limit on processes)
+# - off-screen mesa
+
+mesa=mesa-11.2.2
+
+./makeParaView \
+    -mpi=0 \
+    -mesa-prefix $WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR/platforms/linux64Gcc/$mesa \
+    "$@"
+
+#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/makeVTK b/makeVTK
index 27eac17a3185ee99f23cd273b9dee5f52db44518..4e084e670231cfc9a5011370215579f9621e9598 100755
--- a/makeVTK
+++ b/makeVTK
@@ -51,6 +51,11 @@ wmakeCheckPwd "$WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR" || {
 # USER OPTIONS:
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
+# MPI support:
+# use 0 or unset MPI_MAX_PROCS for no upper-limit
+withMPI=false
+unset MPI_MAX_PROCS
+
 # MESA graphics support:
 withMESA=false
 MESA_INCLUDE="/usr/include/GL"
@@ -80,6 +85,9 @@ options:
   -rebuild          for repeated builds (-make -install) *use with caution*
   -gl2              with new rendering backend (if not already enabled)
   -mesa             with mesa (if not already enabled)
+  -mpi              with mpi (if not already enabled)
+  -mpi=NPROCS       with mpi and max 'NPROCS' processes. NPROCS=0 for no
+                        upper-limit on processes.
   -osmesa           with off-screen mesa only
   -cmake PATH       with the cmake version corresponding to the cmake path given
   -gcc              force g++ instead of the value from \$WM_CXX
@@ -92,7 +100,7 @@ options:
   -help
 
 The -no-FEATURE option can be disable these features (if not already disabled):
-  mesa
+  mesa mpi
 
 CMake options start with a capital letter and contain an '='.
 For example,
@@ -204,6 +212,16 @@ do
         MESA_LIBRARY="${2%%/}"
         shift
         ;;
+    -mpi)
+        withMPI=true
+        ;;
+    -mpi=[0-9]*) # mpi and max mpi processes
+        withMPI=true
+        MPI_MAX_PROCS="${1##*=}"
+        ;;
+    -no-mpi)
+        withMPI=false
+        ;;
     -cmake)
         [ "$#" -ge 2 ] || die "'$1' option requires an argument"
         CMAKE_PATH="${2%%/}"
@@ -256,6 +274,7 @@ fi
 # Set configure options
 #~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 addVerbosity        # verbose makefiles
+addMpiSupport       # set MPI-specific options
 addMesaSupport      # set MESA-specific options
 addGL2Support       # new rendering backend
 
@@ -285,6 +304,7 @@ Build stages selected
 ---------------------
 Features selected
     mesa      ${withMESA:-false}
+    mpi       ${withMPI:-false}
 ---------------------
 Version information
     version   ${VTK_VERSION:-unknown}
diff --git a/makeVTK.example b/makeVTK.example
index 4de6054237f453b38337c9e17688ae59d69deb4f..ae08225b281457e2851e96d2be0e43a2001cf2e9 100755
--- a/makeVTK.example
+++ b/makeVTK.example
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-# An example for building a particular combinations of VTK with off-screen mesa
+# An example for building particular combinations of VTK with
+# - off-screen mesa
 
 vtk=vtk-7.1.0
 mesa=mesa-11.2.2