diff --git a/etc/aliases.csh b/etc/aliases.csh
index 892bfbaabdbd90e3ec07e555af461a2ce5deb5ce..394ffffc122782e9cca7820187983a44830b85f2 100644
--- a/etc/aliases.csh
+++ b/etc/aliases.csh
@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ alias wmDP 'setenv WM_PRECISION_OPTION DP; source $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/cshrc'
 alias wmSchedON 'setenv WM_SCHEDULER $WM_PROJECT_DIR/wmake/wmakeScheduler'
 alias wmSchedOFF 'unsetenv WM_SCHEDULER'
 
+# Change paraview version
+# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+alias foamPV 'setenv ParaView_VERSION \!*; source $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/apps/paraview3/cshrc; echo paraview-$ParaView_VERSION'
+
+
 # Change directory aliases
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 alias src 'cd $FOAM_SRC'
diff --git a/etc/aliases.sh b/etc/aliases.sh
index 9135fcad0f3d3a2ca6da3cad40e02885ff40e02e..4542d3fff1313d114e7ae1b1e1a4abbf2e105840 100644
--- a/etc/aliases.sh
+++ b/etc/aliases.sh
@@ -44,6 +44,19 @@ alias wmDP='export WM_PRECISION_OPTION=DP; . $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/bashrc'
 alias wmSchedON='export WM_SCHEDULER=$WM_PROJECT_DIR/wmake/wmakeScheduler'
 alias wmSchedOFF='unset WM_SCHEDULER'
 
+# Change paraview version
+# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+unset foamPV
+foamPV()
+{
+    export ParaView_VERSION=$1
+    . $WM_PROJECT_DIR/etc/apps/paraview3/bashrc
+    echo "paraview-$ParaView_VERSION  (major: $ParaView_MAJOR)"
+    echo "dir: $ParaView_DIR"
+    [ -d "$ParaView_DIR" ] || echo "WARNING: directory does not exist"
+}
+
+
 # Change directory aliases
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 alias src='cd $FOAM_SRC'
diff --git a/etc/apps/paraview3/bashrc b/etc/apps/paraview3/bashrc
index 545fa7a793f64018aa6670098b4f4d660bae7153..f1f05e236889388022012f1aa8e09d30af4f7034 100644
--- a/etc/apps/paraview3/bashrc
+++ b/etc/apps/paraview3/bashrc
@@ -64,27 +64,29 @@ case "$ParaView_VERSION" in
 esac
 export ParaView_MAJOR
 
+paraviewInstDir=$WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR/paraview-$ParaView_VERSION
+export ParaView_DIR=$paraviewInstDir/platforms/$WM_ARCH$WM_COMPILER
 
-export ParaView_DIR=$WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR/paraview-$ParaView_VERSION/platforms/$WM_ARCH$WM_COMPILER
-
-
-# add in python libraries if required
-paraviewPython=$ParaView_DIR/Utilities/VTKPythonWrapping
-if [ -r $paraviewPython ]
+if [ -r $paraviewInstDir ]
 then
-    if [ "$PYTHONPATH" ]
+    export PATH=$ParaView_DIR/bin:$PATH
+    export PV_PLUGIN_PATH=$FOAM_LIBBIN/paraview-$ParaView_MAJOR
+
+    # add in python libraries if required
+    paraviewPython=$ParaView_DIR/Utilities/VTKPythonWrapping
+    if [ -r $paraviewPython ]
     then
-        export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:$paraviewPython:$ParaView_DIR/lib/paraview-$ParaView_MAJOR
-    else
-        export PYTHONPATH=$paraviewPython:$ParaView_DIR/lib/paraview-$ParaView_MAJOR
+        if [ "$PYTHONPATH" ]
+        then
+            export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:$paraviewPython:$ParaView_DIR/lib/paraview-$ParaView_MAJOR
+        else
+            export PYTHONPATH=$paraviewPython:$ParaView_DIR/lib/paraview-$ParaView_MAJOR
+        fi
     fi
+else
+    unset PV_PLUGIN_PATH
 fi
 
-if [ -r $ParaView_DIR ]
-then
-    export PATH=$ParaView_DIR/bin:$PATH
-    export PV_PLUGIN_PATH=$FOAM_LIBBIN/paraview-$ParaView_MAJOR
-fi
 
-unset cmake paraviewPython
+unset cmake paraviewInstDir paraviewPython
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/etc/apps/paraview3/cshrc b/etc/apps/paraview3/cshrc
index 90d0648fd43d6fca66abab3fa7067f2025a33ebc..2217d27725f71881d9dbf9a95c91ed851ec06835 100644
--- a/etc/apps/paraview3/cshrc
+++ b/etc/apps/paraview3/cshrc
@@ -62,23 +62,26 @@ default:
 endsw
 
 
-setenv ParaView_DIR $WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR/paraview-${ParaView_VERSION}/platforms/$WM_ARCH$WM_COMPILER
+set paraviewInstDir=$WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR/paraview-${ParaView_VERSION}
+setenv ParaView_DIR $paraviewInstDir/platforms/$WM_ARCH$WM_COMPILER
 
+if ( -r $paraviewInstDir ) then
+    set path=($ParaView_DIR/bin $path)
+    setenv PV_PLUGIN_PATH $FOAM_LIBBIN/paraview-${ParaView_MAJOR}
 
-# add in python libraries if required
-set paraviewPython=$ParaView_DIR/Utilities/VTKPythonWrapping
-if ( -r $paraviewPython ) then
-    if ($?PYTHONPATH) then
-        setenv PYTHONPATH ${PYTHONPATH}:${paraviewPython}:$ParaView_DIR/lib/paraview-${ParaView_MAJOR}
-    else
-        setenv PYTHONPATH ${paraviewPython}:$ParaView_DIR/lib/paraview-${ParaView_MAJOR}
+    # add in python libraries if required
+    set paraviewPython=$ParaView_DIR/Utilities/VTKPythonWrapping
+    if ( -r $paraviewPython ) then
+        if ($?PYTHONPATH) then
+            setenv PYTHONPATH ${PYTHONPATH}:${paraviewPython}:$ParaView_DIR/lib/paraview-${ParaView_MAJOR}
+        else
+            setenv PYTHONPATH ${paraviewPython}:$ParaView_DIR/lib/paraview-${ParaView_MAJOR}
+        endif
     endif
+else
+    unsetenv PV_PLUGIN_PATH
 endif
 
-if ( -r $ParaView_DIR ) then
-    set path=($ParaView_DIR/bin $path)
-    setenv PV_PLUGIN_PATH $FOAM_LIBBIN/paraview-${ParaView_MAJOR}
-endif
 
-unset cmake paraviewPython
+unset cmake paraviewInstDir paraviewPython
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------