diff --git a/example/IO/cmesh/vtk/t8_cmesh_read_from_vtk.cxx b/example/IO/cmesh/vtk/t8_cmesh_read_from_vtk.cxx
index 2236c9e13d..a16e54130d 100644
--- a/example/IO/cmesh/vtk/t8_cmesh_read_from_vtk.cxx
+++ b/example/IO/cmesh/vtk/t8_cmesh_read_from_vtk.cxx
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ along with t8code; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 #include <sc_options.h>
 #include <t8.h>
 #include <t8_vtk.h>
+
 #include <t8_forest/t8_forest.h>
 #include <t8_schemes/t8_default/t8_default_cxx.hxx>
 
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
index 4b1c1a32ac..01610da342 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ forestincludedir = $(includedir)/t8_forest
 geometryincludedir = $(includedir)/t8_geometry
 geometryimplincludedir = $(geometryincludedir)/t8_geometry_implementations
 schemesdefaultincludedir = $(includedir)/t8_schemes/t8_default
+vtkincludedir = $(includedir)/t8_vtk
 defaultcommonincludedir = $(schemesdefaultincludedir)/t8_default_common
 defaultvertexincludedir = $(schemesdefaultincludedir)/t8_default_vertex
 defaultlineincludedir = $(schemesdefaultincludedir)/t8_default_line
@@ -64,6 +65,9 @@ libt8_installed_headers_geometry_impl = \
   src/t8_geometry/t8_geometry_implementations/t8_geometry_occ.hxx \
   src/t8_geometry/t8_geometry_implementations/t8_geometry_linear.hxx \
   src/t8_geometry/t8_geometry_implementations/t8_geometry_zero.hxx 
+libt8_installed_headers_vtk = \
+  src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.hxx \
+  src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_types.h
 libt8_installed_headers_schemes_default =
 libt8_installed_headers_default_common =
 libt8_installed_headers_default_vertex =
@@ -81,8 +85,6 @@ libt8_internal_headers = \
   src/t8_cmesh/t8_cmesh_offset.h \
   src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_polydata.hxx \
   src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_unstructured.hxx \
-  src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.hxx \
-  src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_types.h \
   src/t8_forest/t8_forest_cxx.h  \
   src/t8_forest/t8_forest_ghost.h \
   src/t8_forest/t8_forest_balance.h src/t8_forest/t8_forest_types.h \
@@ -151,6 +153,7 @@ dist_forestinclude_HEADERS = $(libt8_installed_headers_forest)
 dist_geometryinclude_HEADERS = $(libt8_installed_headers_geometry)
 dist_geometryimplinclude_HEADERS = $(libt8_installed_headers_geometry_impl)
 dist_schemesdefaultinclude_HEADERS = $(libt8_installed_headers_schemes_default)
+dist_vtkinclude_HEADERS = $(libt8_installed_headers_vtk)
 dist_defaultcommoninclude_HEADERS = $(libt8_installed_headers_default_common)
 dist_defaultvertexinclude_HEADERS = $(libt8_installed_headers_default_vertex)
 dist_defaultlineinclude_HEADERS = $(libt8_installed_headers_default_line)
diff --git a/src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.cxx b/src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.cxx
index 4d96767d01..a2339efb3c 100644
--- a/src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.cxx
+++ b/src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.cxx
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ along with t8code; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 #if T8_WITH_VTK
 #include <vtkCellIterator.h>
 #include <vtkCellData.h>
+#include <vtkCellDataToPointData.h>
 #include <vtkCellTypes.h>
 #include <vtkUnstructuredGrid.h>
 #include <vtkUnstructuredGridReader.h>
@@ -359,6 +360,39 @@ t8_vtkGrid_to_cmesh (vtkSmartPointer < vtkDataSet > vtkGrid,
   return cmesh;
 }
 
+vtkSmartPointer < vtkPointSet >
+t8_vtkGrid_to_vtkPointSet (vtkSmartPointer < vtkDataSet > vtkGrid)
+{
+  /* Set points */
+  vtkSmartPointer < vtkPoints > points =
+    vtkSmartPointer < vtkPoints >::New ();
+  const vtkIdType     num_points = vtkGrid->GetNumberOfPoints ();
+  points->SetDataType (VTK_DOUBLE);
+  points->SetNumberOfPoints (num_points);
+
+  for (vtkIdType ipoint = 0; ipoint < num_points; ipoint++) {
+    double              vp[3];
+    vtkGrid->GetPoint (ipoint, vp);
+    points->SetPoint (ipoint, vp);
+  }
+  points->Modified ();
+  T8_ASSERT (points->GetNumberOfPoints () == num_points);
+  vtkSmartPointer < vtkPointSet > cloud =
+    vtkSmartPointer < vtkPointSet >::New ();
+  cloud->SetPoints (points);
+
+  /* Map cell data to point data */
+  vtkSmartPointer < vtkCellDataToPointData > c2p =
+    vtkCellDataToPointData::New ();
+  c2p->PassCellDataOff ();
+  c2p->SetInputData (vtkGrid);
+  c2p->Update ();
+  cloud->DeepCopy (c2p->GetOutput ());
+  //cloud->DeepCopy (vtkPointSet::SafeDownCast (c2p->GetOutput ()));
+
+  return cloud;
+}
+
 vtkSmartPointer < vtkDataSet >
 t8_vtk_reader (const char *filename, const int partition,
                const int main_proc, sc_MPI_Comm comm,
@@ -407,6 +441,24 @@ t8_vtk_reader (const char *filename, const int partition,
   }
 }
 
+vtkSmartPointer < vtkPointSet >
+t8_vtk_reader_pointSet (const char *filename,
+                        const int partition,
+                        const int main_proc,
+                        sc_MPI_Comm comm, const vtk_file_type_t vtk_file_type)
+{
+#if T8_WITH_VTK
+  vtkSmartPointer < vtkDataSet > vtkGrid =
+    t8_vtk_reader (filename, partition, main_proc, comm, vtk_file_type);
+  return t8_vtkGrid_to_vtkPointSet (vtkGrid);
+#else
+  /* Return NULL if not linked against vtk */
+  t8_global_errorf
+    ("WARNING: t8code is not linked against the vtk library. Without proper linking t8code cannot use the vtk-reader\n");
+#endif
+  return NULL;
+}
+
 #endif /* T8_WITH_VTK */
 
 t8_cmesh_t
diff --git a/src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.hxx b/src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.hxx
index ef7eb3667e..0f1045a6c9 100644
--- a/src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.hxx
+++ b/src/t8_vtk/t8_vtk_reader.hxx
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ along with t8code; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 #include <vtkSmartPointer.h>
 #include <vtkCellData.h>
 #include <vtkDataSet.h>
+#include <vtkPointSet.h>
 #endif
 
 T8_EXTERN_C_BEGIN ();
@@ -51,6 +52,17 @@ t8_cmesh_t          t8_vtkGrid_to_cmesh (vtkSmartPointer < vtkDataSet >
                                          const int main_proc,
                                          sc_MPI_Comm comm);
 
+/**
+ * Given a pointer to a vtkDataSet a vtkPointSet storing a set of points of
+ * is constructed. The cell data of vtkDataSet is mapt on the points of vtkPointSet. 
+ * 
+ * \param[in] vtkGrid A pointer to a vtkDataSet
+ * \return A pointer to a vtkPointSet 
+ */
+vtkSmartPointer < vtkPointSet > t8_vtkGrid_to_vtkPointSet (vtkSmartPointer <
+                                                           vtkDataSet >
+                                                           vtkGrid);
+
 /**
  * Given a filename to a vtkUnstructuredGrid or vtkPolyData read the file and
  * construct a abstract class to specify dataset behavior. The file is read and
@@ -71,6 +83,30 @@ vtkSmartPointer < vtkDataSet > t8_vtk_reader (const char *filename,
                                               const vtk_file_type_t
                                               vtk_file_type);
 
+/**
+ * Given a filename to a vtkUnstructuredGrid or vtkPolyData read the file and
+ * a set of points is constructed. This is a two stage process. First the file
+ * is read and stored in a vtkDataSet using \a t8_vtk_reader and 
+ * \a t8_file_to_vtkGrid. In the second stage a vtkPointSet is constructed from 
+ * the vtkDataSet using \a t8_vtkGrid_to_vtkPointSet. 
+ * 
+ * Both stages use the vtk-library, therefore the function is only available if 
+ * t8code is linked against VTK. 
+ * 
+ * \param[in] filename      The name of the file
+ * \param[in] partition     Flag if the constructed mesh should be partitioned
+ * \param[in] main_proc     The main reading processor
+ * \param[in] comm          An mpi-communicator
+ * \param[in] vtk_file_type A vtk-filetype that is readable by t8code. 
+ * \return                  Pointer to vtkDataSet      
+ */
+vtkSmartPointer < vtkPointSet > t8_vtk_reader_pointSet (const char *filename,
+                                                        const int partition,
+                                                        const int main_proc,
+                                                        sc_MPI_Comm comm,
+                                                        const vtk_file_type_t
+                                                        vtk_file_type);
+
 #endif
 
 /**