diff --git a/code/ValidateDataStructure.cpp b/code/ValidateDataStructure.cpp
index 3076b8fe3..9f1a41b8b 100644
--- a/code/ValidateDataStructure.cpp
+++ b/code/ValidateDataStructure.cpp
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ bool ValidateDSProcess::IsActive( unsigned int pFlags) const
 	return (pFlags & aiProcess_ValidateDataStructure) != 0;
 }
 // ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-void ValidateDSProcess::ReportError(const char* msg,...)
+AI_WONT_RETURN void ValidateDSProcess::ReportError(const char* msg,...)
 {
 	ai_assert(NULL != msg);
 
diff --git a/code/ValidateDataStructure.h b/code/ValidateDataStructure.h
index 7a8124c08..8673e5829 100644
--- a/code/ValidateDataStructure.h
+++ b/code/ValidateDataStructure.h
@@ -58,9 +58,10 @@ struct aiString;
 
 namespace Assimp	{
 
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-/** Validates the ASSIMP data structure
- */
+// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/** Validates the whole ASSIMP scene data structure for correctness.
+ *  ImportErrorException is thrown of the scene is corrupt.*/
+// --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 class ASSIMP_API ValidateDSProcess : public BaseProcess
 {
 	friend class Importer;
@@ -84,55 +85,49 @@ protected:
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Report a validation error. This will throw an exception,
 	 *  control won't return.
-	 * @param msg Format string for sprintf().
-	 */
-	void ReportError(const char* msg,...);
+	 * @param msg Format string for sprintf().*/
+	AI_WONT_RETURN void ReportError(const char* msg,...);
+
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Report a validation warning. This won't throw an exception,
 	 *  control will return to the callera.
-	 * @param msg Format string for sprintf().
-	 */
+	 * @param msg Format string for sprintf().*/
 	void ReportWarning(const char* msg,...);
 
+
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates a mesh
-	 * @param pMesh Input mesh
-	 */
+	 * @param pMesh Input mesh*/
 	void Validate( const aiMesh* pMesh);
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates a bone
 	 * @param pMesh Input mesh
-	 * @param pBone Input bone
-	 */
+	 * @param pBone Input bone*/
 	void Validate( const aiMesh* pMesh,const aiBone* pBone,float* afSum);
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates an animation
-	 * @param pAnimation Input animation
-	 */
+	 * @param pAnimation Input animation*/
 	void Validate( const aiAnimation* pAnimation);
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates a material
-	 * @param pMaterial Input material
-	 */
+	 * @param pMaterial Input material*/
 	void Validate( const aiMaterial* pMaterial);
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Search the material data structure for invalid or corrupt
 	 *  texture keys.
 	 * @param pMaterial Input material
-	 * @param type Type of the texture
-	 */
+	 * @param type Type of the texture*/
 	void SearchForInvalidTextures(const aiMaterial* pMaterial,
 		aiTextureType type);
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates a texture
-	 * @param pTexture Input texture
-	 */
+	 * @param pTexture Input texture*/
 	void Validate( const aiTexture* pTexture);
 	
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -143,28 +138,24 @@ protected:
 	
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates a camera
-	 * @param pCamera Input camera
-	 */
+	 * @param pCamera Input camera*/
 	void Validate( const aiCamera* pCamera);
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates a bone animation channel
 	 * @param pAnimation Animation channel.
-	 * @param pBoneAnim Input bone animation
-	 */
+	 * @param pBoneAnim Input bone animation */
 	void Validate( const aiAnimation* pAnimation,
 		const aiNodeAnim* pBoneAnim);
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates a node and all of its subnodes
-	 * @param Node Input node
-	 */
+	 * @param Node Input node*/
 	void Validate( const aiNode* pNode);
 
 	// -------------------------------------------------------------------
 	/** Validates a string
-	 * @param pString Input string
-	 */
+	 * @param pString Input string*/
 	void Validate( const aiString* pString);
 
 private:
diff --git a/code/aiAssert.cpp b/code/aiAssert.cpp
index 29f4279d7..487345538 100644
--- a/code/aiAssert.cpp
+++ b/code/aiAssert.cpp
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 
 // Set a breakpoint using win32, else line, file and message will be returned and progam ends with 
 // errrocode = 1
-void Assimp::aiAssert (const std::string &message, unsigned int uiLine, const std::string &file)
+AI_WONT_RETURN void Assimp::aiAssert (const std::string &message, unsigned int uiLine, const std::string &file)
 {
   // moved expression testing out of the function and into the macro to avoid constructing
   // two std::string on every single ai_assert test
diff --git a/include/aiAssert.h b/include/aiAssert.h
index 21e806227..cb930d12e 100644
--- a/include/aiAssert.h
+++ b/include/aiAssert.h
@@ -14,11 +14,11 @@ namespace Assimp {
 //!	\brief	ASSIMP specific assertion test, only works in debug mode
 //!	\param	uiLine	Line in file
 //!	\param	file	Source file
-void aiAssert(const std::string &message, unsigned int uiLine, const std::string &file);
+AI_WONT_RETURN void aiAssert(const std::string &message, unsigned int uiLine, const std::string &file);
 
 
 //!	\def	ai_assert
-//!	\brief	ASSIM specific assertion test
+//!	\brief	ASSIMP specific assertion test
 #ifdef DEBUG  
 #  define	ai_assert(expression) if( !(expression)) Assimp::aiAssert( #expression, __LINE__, __FILE__);
 #else
diff --git a/include/aiDefines.h b/include/aiDefines.h
index 5ae19c704..494a97a4e 100644
--- a/include/aiDefines.h
+++ b/include/aiDefines.h
@@ -119,11 +119,18 @@ OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 #		define ASSIMP_API 
 #	endif
 
-	/* Force the compiler to inline a function, if supported
+	/* Force the compiler to inline a function, if possible
 	 */
 #	define AI_FORCE_INLINE __forceinline
 
+	/* Tells the compiler that a function never returns. Used in code analysis
+	 * to skip dead paths (e.g. after an assertion evaluated false).
+	 */
+#	define AI_WONT_RETURN __declspec(noreturn)
 #else
+	
+#	define AI_WONT_RETURN
+
 #	define ASSIMP_API
 #	define AI_FORCE_INLINE inline
 #endif // (defined _MSC_VER)
@@ -213,7 +220,7 @@ OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 #define AI_MATH_TWO_PI		(AI_MATH_PI * 2.0)
 #define AI_MATH_HALF_PI		(AI_MATH_PI * 0.5)
 
-/* And this is to avoid endless (float) casts */
+/* And this is to avoid endless casts to float */
 #define AI_MATH_PI_F		(3.1415926538f)
 #define AI_MATH_TWO_PI_F	(AI_MATH_PI_F * 2.0f)
 #define AI_MATH_HALF_PI_F	(AI_MATH_PI_F * 0.5f)
diff --git a/include/aiTypes.h b/include/aiTypes.h
index 9f72ba517..553560851 100644
--- a/include/aiTypes.h
+++ b/include/aiTypes.h
@@ -247,7 +247,9 @@ struct aiString
 	aiString(const aiString& rOther) : 
 		length(rOther.length) 
 	{
-		memcpy( data, rOther.data, rOther.length);
+		// Crop the string to the maximum length
+		length = length>=MAXLEN?MAXLEN-1:length;
+		memcpy( data, rOther.data, length);
 		data[length] = '\0';
 	}
 
@@ -255,6 +257,7 @@ struct aiString
 	aiString(const std::string& pString) : 
 		length(pString.length()) 
 	{
+		length = length>=MAXLEN?MAXLEN-1:length;
 		memcpy( data, pString.c_str(), length);
 		data[length] = '\0';
 	}
diff --git a/tools/assimp_view/assimp_view.h b/tools/assimp_view/assimp_view.h
index fd431ea6b..3e1e9468d 100644
--- a/tools/assimp_view/assimp_view.h
+++ b/tools/assimp_view/assimp_view.h
@@ -47,15 +47,15 @@ OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 // include resource definitions
 #include "resource.h"
 
-// Include ASSIMP headers
+// Include ASSIMP headers (XXX: do we really need all of them?)
+#include "assimp.h"
+#include "assimp.hpp"
 #include "aiAssert.h"
 #include "aiFileIO.h"
 #include "aiPostProcess.h"
 #include "aiScene.h"
 #include "IOSystem.h"
 #include "IOStream.h"
-#include "assimp.h"
-#include "assimp.hpp"
 #include "LogStream.h"
 #include "DefaultLogger.h"