diff --git a/vcg/complex/base.h b/vcg/complex/base.h
index eb9e6e4b..1c4700de 100644
--- a/vcg/complex/base.h
+++ b/vcg/complex/base.h
@@ -611,6 +611,7 @@ template <class MeshType> void RequireCompactness    (MeshType &m) {
 }
 
 template <class MeshType> void RequireTriangularMesh (MeshType &m ) { if( tri::HasPolyInfo( m ) ) throw vcg::MissingTriangularRequirementException("");}
+template <class MeshType> void RequirePolygonalMesh (MeshType &m )  { if(!tri::HasPolyInfo( m ) ) throw vcg::MissingPolygonalRequirementException("");}
 
 template <class MeshType> void RequireVFAdjacency    (MeshType &m) { if(!tri::HasVFAdjacency   (m)) throw vcg::MissingComponentException("VFAdjacency"); }
 template <class MeshType> void RequireVEAdjacency    (MeshType &m) { if(!tri::HasVEAdjacency   (m)) throw vcg::MissingComponentException("VEAdjacency"); }
diff --git a/vcg/complex/exception.h b/vcg/complex/exception.h
index bebd6c61..7dfa3e13 100644
--- a/vcg/complex/exception.h
+++ b/vcg/complex/exception.h
@@ -67,6 +67,21 @@ public:
       return buf;
     }
 };
+
+class MissingPolygonalRequirementException : public std::runtime_error
+{
+public:
+  MissingPolygonalRequirementException(const std::string &err):std::runtime_error(err)
+  {
+    std::cout << "Mesh has to be composed by polygonal faces (not plain triangles) -" << err << "- \n";
+  }
+
+    virtual const char *what() const throw ()
+    {
+      static char buf[128]="Mesh has to be composed by polygonal faces (not plain triangles) ";
+      return buf;
+    }
+};
 }
 
 #endif // EXCEPTION_H