diff --git a/urdf/CMakeLists.txt b/urdf/CMakeLists.txt
index 64d4b42..96355f2 100644
--- a/urdf/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/urdf/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ set(LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/lib)
 
 rosbuild_gensrv()
 
+# necessary for collada reader to create the temporary dae files due to limitations in the URDF geometry
+check_function_exists(mkstemps HAVE_MKSTEMPS)
+if( HAVE_MKSTEMPS )
+  add_definitions("-DHAVE_MKSTEMPS")
+endif()
+
 #common commands for building c++ executables and libraries
 rosbuild_add_library(${PROJECT_NAME} src/link.cpp src/joint.cpp src/model.cpp src/collada_model_reader.cpp)
 #target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} another_library)
diff --git a/urdf/src/collada_model_reader.cpp b/urdf/src/collada_model_reader.cpp
index c5cc462..8778559 100644
--- a/urdf/src/collada_model_reader.cpp
+++ b/urdf/src/collada_model_reader.cpp
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 #include <list>
 #include <map>
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include <cstdlib>
 #include <cmath>
 #include <string>
 #include <sstream>
@@ -55,6 +56,11 @@
 #include <boost/format.hpp>
 #include <boost/shared_ptr.hpp>
 
+#ifndef HAVE_MKSTEMPS
+#include <fstream>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+#endif
+
 #define FOREACH(it, v) for(typeof((v).begin()) it = (v).begin(); it != (v).end(); (it)++)
 #define FOREACHC FOREACH
 
@@ -1110,9 +1116,19 @@ protected:
   </scene>\n\
 </COLLADA>")%name%name);
 
-        //= str(boost::format("%s/models/%s.dae")%_resourcedir%name);        
+#ifdef HAVE_MKSTEMPS
         geometry->filename = str(boost::format("/tmp/collada_model_reader_%s_XXXXXX.dae")%name);
         int fd = mkstemps(&geometry->filename[0],4);
+#else
+        do {
+            geometry->filename = str(boost::format("/tmp/collada_model_reader_%s_%d.dae")%name%rand());
+        } while(!!std::ifstream(geometry->filename.c_str()));
+        int fd = open(geometry->filename.c_str(),O_WRONLY|O_CREAT|O_EXCL);
+        if( fd == -1 ) {
+            ROS_ERROR("failed to open geometry dae file %s",geometry->filename.c_str());
+            return geometry;
+        }
+#endif
         //ROS_INFO("temp file: %s",geometry->filename.c_str());
         std::string daedatastr = daedata.str();
         if( (size_t)write(fd,daedatastr.c_str(),daedatastr.size()) != daedatastr.size() ) {