diff --git a/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.I b/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.I
index edd2d5f6bb..57c9a34ade 100644
--- a/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.I
+++ b/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.I
@@ -264,16 +264,49 @@ OnStageNode(TextureStage *stage, unsigned int implicit_sort) :
 {
 }
 
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//     Function: TextureAttrib::OnStageNode::Comparison Operator
+//     Function: TextureAttrib::CompareTextureStagePriorities::operator ()
 //       Access: Public
-//  Description: 
+//  Description: This STL function object is used to sort a list of
+//               texture stages in reverse order by priority, and
+//               within priority, within order by sort.
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-INLINE bool TextureAttrib::OnStageNode::
-operator < (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &other) const {
-  if (_stage->get_sort() != other._stage->get_sort()) {
-    return _stage->get_sort() < other._stage->get_sort();
+INLINE bool TextureAttrib::CompareTextureStagePriorities::
+operator () (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &a, 
+             const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &b) const {
+  if (a._stage->get_priority() != b._stage->get_priority()) {
+    return a._stage->get_priority() > b._stage->get_priority();
   }
-  return _implicit_sort < other._implicit_sort;
+  if (a._stage->get_sort() != b._stage->get_sort()) {
+    return a._stage->get_sort() > b._stage->get_sort();
+  }
+  return a._implicit_sort < b._implicit_sort;
 }
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//     Function: TextureAttrib::CompareTextureStageSort::operator ()
+//       Access: Public
+//  Description: This STL function object is used to sort a list of
+//               texture stages in order by sort.
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+INLINE bool TextureAttrib::CompareTextureStageSort::
+operator () (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &a, 
+             const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &b) const {
+  if (a._stage->get_sort() != b._stage->get_sort()) {
+    return a._stage->get_sort() > b._stage->get_sort();
+  }
+  return a._implicit_sort < b._implicit_sort;
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//     Function: TextureAttrib::CompareTextureStagePointer::operator ()
+//       Access: Public
+//  Description: This STL function object is used to sort a list of
+//               texture stages in order by pointer.
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+INLINE bool TextureAttrib::CompareTextureStagePointer::
+operator () (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &a, 
+             const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &b) const {
+  return a._stage < b._stage;
+}
diff --git a/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.cxx b/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.cxx
index 4a99c6a798..215a552525 100644
--- a/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.cxx
@@ -30,21 +30,6 @@ CPT(RenderAttrib) TextureAttrib::_empty_attrib;
 CPT(RenderAttrib) TextureAttrib::_all_off_attrib;
 TypeHandle TextureAttrib::_type_handle;
 
-// This STL Function object is used in filter_to_max(), below, to sort
-// a list of TextureStages in reverse order by priority and, within
-// priority, in order by sort.
-bool TextureAttrib::CompareTextureStagePriorities::
-operator () (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &a, 
-             const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &b) const {
-  if (a._stage->get_priority() != b._stage->get_priority()) {
-    return a._stage->get_priority() > b._stage->get_priority();
-  }
-  if (a._stage->get_sort() != b._stage->get_sort()) {
-    return a._stage->get_sort() > b._stage->get_sort();
-  }
-  return a._implicit_sort < b._implicit_sort;
-}
-
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //     Function: TextureAttrib::make
@@ -960,7 +945,7 @@ sort_on_stages() {
   // It's important that this assignment not be based on the whims of
   // render order--it mustn't change arbitrarily--so we must first
   // sort the on_stages list into pointer order for this purpose.
-  sort(_on_stages.begin(), _on_stages.end());
+  sort(_on_stages.begin(), _on_stages.end(), CompareTextureStagePointer());
 
   typedef pmap<const InternalName *, int> UsedTexcoordIndex;
   UsedTexcoordIndex used_texcoord_index;
@@ -986,7 +971,7 @@ sort_on_stages() {
   }
 
   // Now we can sort the on_stages map into render order.
-  sort(_on_stages.begin(), _on_stages.end());
+  sort(_on_stages.begin(), _on_stages.end(), CompareTextureStageSort());
 
   _sort_seq = TextureStage::get_sort_seq();
 
diff --git a/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.h b/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.h
index 4957aea721..09098f30f6 100644
--- a/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.h
+++ b/panda/src/pgraph/textureAttrib.h
@@ -101,7 +101,6 @@ private:
   class OnStageNode {
   public:
     INLINE OnStageNode(TextureStage *stage, unsigned int implicit_sort);
-    INLINE bool operator < (const OnStageNode &other) const;
 
     PT(TextureStage) _stage;
     unsigned int _implicit_sort;
@@ -109,7 +108,17 @@ private:
 
   class CompareTextureStagePriorities {
   public:
-    bool operator () (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &a, const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &b) const;
+    INLINE bool operator () (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &a, const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &b) const;
+  };
+
+  class CompareTextureStageSort {
+  public:
+    INLINE bool operator () (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &a, const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &b) const;
+  };
+
+  class CompareTextureStagePointer {
+  public:
+    INLINE bool operator () (const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &a, const TextureAttrib::OnStageNode &b) const;
   };
 
   typedef pvector<OnStageNode> OnStages;