diff --git a/libsrc/core/archive.hpp b/libsrc/core/archive.hpp
index 2aad63e8..604a3f26 100644
--- a/libsrc/core/archive.hpp
+++ b/libsrc/core/archive.hpp
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <string>               // for string
 #include <type_traits>          // for declval, enable_if_t, false_type, is_co...
 #include <cstddef>              // for std::byte
+#include <set>                  // for set
 #include <typeinfo>             // for type_info
 #include <utility>              // for move, swap, pair
 #include <vector>               // for vector
@@ -33,6 +34,13 @@ namespace pybind11
 
 namespace ngcore
 {
+  template <typename T>
+  struct Shallow {
+    T val;
+    Shallow() = default;
+    Shallow(T aval) : val(aval) { ; }
+    operator T&() { return val; }
+  };
 
 #ifdef NETGEN_PYTHON
   pybind11::object CastAnyToPy(const std::any& a);
@@ -101,6 +109,31 @@ namespace ngcore
       NGCORE_API static constexpr bool value = type::value;
     };
 
+    template <typename T>
+    struct has_GetCArgs
+    {
+      template <typename C> static std::true_type check( decltype( sizeof(&C::GetCArgs )) ) { return std::true_type(); }
+      template <typename> static std::false_type check(...) { return std::false_type(); }
+      typedef decltype( check<T>(sizeof(char)) ) type;
+      static constexpr type value = type();
+    };
+    template<typename T>
+    constexpr bool has_GetCArgs_v = has_GetCArgs<T>::value;
+
+    template<typename T,
+    typename std::enable_if<!has_GetCArgs_v<T>>::type* = nullptr>
+    std::tuple<> GetCArgs(T&val) { return {}; }
+
+    template<typename T,
+    typename std::enable_if<has_GetCArgs_v<T>>::type* = nullptr>
+    auto GetCArgs(T&val) {
+      return val.GetCArgs();
+    }
+
+    template<typename T>
+    using TCargs = decltype(GetCArgs<T>(*static_cast<T*>(nullptr)));
+
+
     struct ClassArchiveInfo
     {
       // create new object of this type and return a void* pointer that is points to the location
@@ -336,6 +369,26 @@ namespace ngcore
           }
       return (*this);
     }
+    template <typename T>
+    Archive& operator&(std::set<T> &s)
+    {
+      auto size = s.size();
+      (*this) & size;
+      if(Output())
+        for(const auto & val : s)
+          (*this) << val;
+      else
+      {
+          for(size_t i=0; i<size; i++)
+          {
+              T val;
+              (*this) & val;
+              s.insert(val);
+          }
+      }
+      return *this;
+    }
+
     // Archive arrays =====================================================
     // this functions can be overloaded in Archive implementations for more efficiency
     template <typename T, typename = std::enable_if_t<is_archivable<T>>>
@@ -420,6 +473,12 @@ namespace ngcore
 
       
 
+    template <typename T>
+    Archive& operator & (ngcore::Shallow<T>& shallow)
+    {
+      this->Shallow(shallow.val);
+      return *this;
+    }
       
 
     // Archive shared_ptrs =================================================
@@ -663,7 +722,7 @@ namespace ngcore
     void SetParallel (bool _parallel) { parallel = _parallel; }
     
   private:
-  template<typename T, typename Bases, typename CArgs>
+  template<typename T, typename Bases>
     friend class RegisterClassForArchive;
 
 #ifdef NETGEN_PYTHON
diff --git a/libsrc/core/register_archive.hpp b/libsrc/core/register_archive.hpp
index f5f673ed..80f46fc0 100644
--- a/libsrc/core/register_archive.hpp
+++ b/libsrc/core/register_archive.hpp
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ namespace ngcore {
   template <typename T>
   struct has_shared_from_this
   {
-    template <typename C> static std::true_type check( decltype( sizeof(&C::shared_from_this() )) ) { return std::true_type(); }
+    template <typename C> static std::true_type check( decltype( sizeof(&C::shared_from_this )) ) { return std::true_type(); }
     template <typename> static std::false_type check(...) { return std::false_type(); }
     typedef decltype( check<T>(sizeof(char)) ) type;
     static constexpr type value = type();
@@ -45,14 +45,11 @@ namespace ngcore {
 #endif // NETGEN_PYTHON
 
 
-  template<typename T, typename Bases=std::tuple<>, typename CArgs=std::tuple<>>
+  template<typename T, typename Bases=std::tuple<>>
   class RegisterClassForArchive
   {
   public:
-    std::function<CArgs(T&)> get_cargs;
-    RegisterClassForArchive(std::function<CArgs(T&)> _get_cargs =
-                            [](T&) -> std::tuple<> { return std::tuple<>{}; }) :
-      get_cargs(_get_cargs)
+    RegisterClassForArchive()
     {
       static_assert(std::is_base_of<Bases, T>::value ||
                     detail::is_base_of_tuple<T, Bases>,
@@ -60,7 +57,7 @@ namespace ngcore {
       detail::ClassArchiveInfo info {};
       info.creator = [](const std::type_info& ti, Archive& ar) -> void*
       {
-        CArgs args;
+        detail::TCargs<T> args;
         ar &args;
         auto nT = detail::constructIfPossible<T>(args);
         return typeid(T) == ti ? nT
@@ -71,7 +68,8 @@ namespace ngcore {
       info.downcaster = [/*this*/](const std::type_info& ti, void* p) -> void*
       { return typeid(T) == ti ? p : Archive::Caster<T, Bases>::tryDowncast(ti, p); };
       info.cargs_archiver = [this](Archive &ar, void* p) {
-        ar << get_cargs(*static_cast<T*>(p));
+        if constexpr(detail::has_GetCArgs_v<T>)
+          ar << static_cast<T*>(p)->GetCArgs();
       };
 #ifdef NETGEN_PYTHON
     info.anyToPyCaster = [](const std::any &a) {
diff --git a/tests/catch/archive.cpp b/tests/catch/archive.cpp
index 26543695..62f6df46 100644
--- a/tests/catch/archive.cpp
+++ b/tests/catch/archive.cpp
@@ -98,12 +98,14 @@ public:
   {
     ar & b;
   }
+
+  auto GetCArgs()
+  {
+    return make_tuple(a, c);
+  }
 };
 
-static RegisterClassForArchive<ClassWithoutDefaultConstructor,
-                               tuple<>, tuple<int, double>>
-regwdc([](ClassWithoutDefaultConstructor& self)
- { return make_tuple(self.a, self.c); });
+static RegisterClassForArchive<ClassWithoutDefaultConstructor> regwdc;
 
 class OneMoreDerivedClass : public SharedPtrAndPtrHolder {
 };