diff --git a/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js b/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
index 54e867b..43d2d61 100644
--- a/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
+++ b/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
@@ -430,6 +430,19 @@
 // some helper functions..
 
 /**
+ * Helper function that creates a new sprite based on the source you provide.
+ * The soucre can be - frame id, image url, video url, canvae element, video element, base texture
+ *
+ * @static
+ * @param source {}
+ * @return {PIXI.Texture} A Texture
+ */
+Sprite.from = function (source)
+{
+    return new Sprite(Texture.from(source));
+}
+
+/**
  * Helper function that creates a sprite that will contain a texture from the TextureCache based on the frameId
  * The frame ids are created when a Texture packer file has been loaded
  *

diff --git a/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js b/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
index 54e867b..43d2d61 100644
--- a/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
+++ b/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
@@ -430,6 +430,19 @@
 // some helper functions..
 
 /**
+ * Helper function that creates a new sprite based on the source you provide.
+ * The soucre can be - frame id, image url, video url, canvae element, video element, base texture
+ *
+ * @static
+ * @param source {}
+ * @return {PIXI.Texture} A Texture
+ */
+Sprite.from = function (source)
+{
+    return new Sprite(Texture.from(source));
+}
+
+/**
  * Helper function that creates a sprite that will contain a texture from the TextureCache based on the frameId
  * The frame ids are created when a Texture packer file has been loaded
  *
diff --git a/src/core/sprites/webgl/SpriteRenderer.js b/src/core/sprites/webgl/SpriteRenderer.js
index f1fe8da..2f4cd1f 100644
--- a/src/core/sprites/webgl/SpriteRenderer.js
+++ b/src/core/sprites/webgl/SpriteRenderer.js
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@
         .addAttribute(this.vertexBuffers[i], this.shader.attributes.aColor, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, true, this.vertByteSize, 3 * 4)
         .addAttribute(this.vertexBuffers[i], this.shader.attributes.aTextureId, gl.FLOAT, false, this.vertByteSize, 4 * 4);
     }
-   
+    
+    this.vao = this.vaos[0];
     this.currentBlendMode = 99999;
 };
 

diff --git a/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js b/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
index 54e867b..43d2d61 100644
--- a/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
+++ b/src/core/sprites/Sprite.js
@@ -430,6 +430,19 @@
 // some helper functions..
 
 /**
+ * Helper function that creates a new sprite based on the source you provide.
+ * The soucre can be - frame id, image url, video url, canvae element, video element, base texture
+ *
+ * @static
+ * @param source {}
+ * @return {PIXI.Texture} A Texture
+ */
+Sprite.from = function (source)
+{
+    return new Sprite(Texture.from(source));
+}
+
+/**
  * Helper function that creates a sprite that will contain a texture from the TextureCache based on the frameId
  * The frame ids are created when a Texture packer file has been loaded
  *
diff --git a/src/core/sprites/webgl/SpriteRenderer.js b/src/core/sprites/webgl/SpriteRenderer.js
index f1fe8da..2f4cd1f 100644
--- a/src/core/sprites/webgl/SpriteRenderer.js
+++ b/src/core/sprites/webgl/SpriteRenderer.js
@@ -121,7 +121,8 @@
         .addAttribute(this.vertexBuffers[i], this.shader.attributes.aColor, gl.UNSIGNED_BYTE, true, this.vertByteSize, 3 * 4)
         .addAttribute(this.vertexBuffers[i], this.shader.attributes.aTextureId, gl.FLOAT, false, this.vertByteSize, 4 * 4);
     }
-   
+    
+    this.vao = this.vaos[0];
     this.currentBlendMode = 99999;
 };
 
diff --git a/src/core/textures/Texture.js b/src/core/textures/Texture.js
index bdb3f18..c848b68 100644
--- a/src/core/textures/Texture.js
+++ b/src/core/textures/Texture.js
@@ -411,6 +411,51 @@
 };
 
 /**
+ * Helper function that creates a new Texture based on the source you provide.
+ * The soucre can be - frame id, image url, video url, canvae element, video element, base texture
+ *
+ * @static
+ * @param source {}
+ * @return {PIXI.Texture} A Texture
+ */
+Texture.from = function (source)
+{
+    //TODO auto detect cross origin..
+    //TODO pass in scale mode?
+    if(typeof source === 'string')
+    {
+        var texture = utils.TextureCache[source];
+
+        if (!texture)
+        {
+            // check if its a video..
+            var isVideo = source.match(/\.(mp4|webm|ogg|h264|avi|mov)$/) != null;
+            if(isVideo)
+            {
+                return Texture.fromVideoUrl(source);
+            }
+
+            return Texture.fromImage(source);
+        }
+
+        return texture
+    }
+    else if(source instanceof HTMLCanvasElement)
+    {
+        return Texture.fromCanvas(source);
+    }
+    else if(source instanceof HTMLVideoElement)
+    {
+        return Texture.fromVideo(source);
+    }
+    else if(source instanceof BaseTexture)
+    {
+        return new Texture(BaseTexture);
+    }
+}
+
+
+/**
  * Adds a texture to the global utils.TextureCache. This cache is shared across the whole PIXI object.
  *
  * @static