diff --git a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.cpp b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.cpp
index 95ed0e510..779b2506b 100644
--- a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.cpp
+++ b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.cpp
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ extern "C" PyObject *PyInit__renderdoc(void);
 extern "C" PyObject *PassObjectToPython(const char *type, void *obj);
 // this one is in qrenderdoc_python.cpp
 extern "C" PyObject *PyInit__qrenderdoc(void);
+extern "C" PyObject *WrapBareQWidget(PyObject *, QWidget *);
+extern "C" QWidget *UnwrapBareQWidget(PyObject *);
 
 #ifdef WIN32
 
@@ -617,25 +619,31 @@ QWidget *PythonContext::QWidgetFromPy(PyObject *widget)
     return NULL;
 
   if(!SbkPySide2_QtCoreTypes || !SbkPySide2_QtGuiTypes || !SbkPySide2_QtWidgetsTypes)
-    return NULL;
+    return UnwrapBareQWidget(widget);
 
   if(!Shiboken::Object::checkType(widget))
-    return NULL;
+    return UnwrapBareQWidget(widget);
 
   return (QWidget *)Shiboken::Object::cppPointer((SbkObject *)widget, Shiboken::SbkType<QWidget>());
 #else
-  return NULL;
+  return UnwrapBareQWidget(widget);
 #endif
 }
 
-PyObject *PythonContext::QtObjectToPython(const char *typeName, QObject *object)
+PyObject *PythonContext::QtObjectToPython(PyObject *self, const char *typeName, QObject *object)
 {
 #if PYSIDE2_ENABLED
   if(!initialised())
-    return NULL;
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
 
   if(!SbkPySide2_QtCoreTypes || !SbkPySide2_QtGuiTypes || !SbkPySide2_QtWidgetsTypes)
-    return NULL;
+  {
+    QWidget *w = qobject_cast<QWidget *>(object);
+    if(self && w)
+      return WrapBareQWidget(self, w);
+
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
+  }
 
   PyObject *obj =
       Shiboken::Object::newObject(reinterpret_cast<SbkObjectType *>(Shiboken::SbkType<QObject>()),
@@ -643,7 +651,11 @@ PyObject *PythonContext::QtObjectToPython(const char *typeName, QObject *object)
 
   return obj;
 #else
-  return NULL;
+  QWidget *w = qobject_cast<QWidget *>(object);
+  if(self && w)
+    return WrapBareQWidget(self, w);
+
+  Py_RETURN_NONE;
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h
index a9507fc15..d3d549ee1 100644
--- a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h
+++ b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/PythonContext.h
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public:
     const char *typeName = typeid(*const_cast<QtObjectType *>(object)).name();
 
     // forward non-template part on
-    PyObject *obj = QtObjectToPython(typeName, object);
+    PyObject *obj = QtObjectToPython(NULL, typeName, object);
 
     if(obj)
       setPyGlobal(varName, obj);
@@ -83,7 +83,10 @@ public:
                      {});
   }
 
-  static PyObject *QWidgetToPy(QWidget *widget) { return QtObjectToPython("QWidget", widget); }
+  static PyObject *QWidgetToPy(PyObject *self, QWidget *widget)
+  {
+    return QtObjectToPython(self, "QWidget", widget);
+  }
   static QWidget *QWidgetFromPy(PyObject *widget);
 
   void abort() { m_Abort = true; }
@@ -125,7 +128,7 @@ private:
 
   bool m_Abort = false;
 
-  static PyObject *QtObjectToPython(const char *typeName, QObject *object);
+  static PyObject *QtObjectToPython(PyObject *self, const char *typeName, QObject *object);
 
   QTimer *outputTicker;
   QMutex outputMutex;
diff --git a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/qrenderdoc.i b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/qrenderdoc.i
index 8d019e33f..2e509b2ce 100644
--- a/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/qrenderdoc.i
+++ b/qrenderdoc/Code/pyrenderdoc/qrenderdoc.i
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ CONTAINER_TYPEMAPS(QMap)
 }
 
 %typemap(out) QWidget * {
-  $result = PythonContext::QWidgetToPy($1);
+  $result = PythonContext::QWidgetToPy(self, $1);
 }
 
 // need to ignore the original function and add a helper that releases the python GIL while calling
@@ -101,3 +101,27 @@ CONTAINER_TYPEMAPS(QMap)
   }
   #endif
 %}
+
+// declare functions for using swig opaque wrap/unwrap of QWidget, for when pyside isn't available.
+%wrapper %{
+
+PyObject *WrapBareQWidget(PyObject *self, QWidget *widget)
+{
+  return SWIG_NewPointerObj(SWIG_as_voidptr(widget), SWIGTYPE_p_QWidget, SWIG_BUILTIN_INIT);
+}
+
+QWidget *UnwrapBareQWidget(PyObject *obj)
+{
+  QWidget *ret = NULL;
+  int res = 0;
+
+  res = SWIG_ConvertPtr(obj, (void **)&ret,SWIGTYPE_p_QWidget, 0);
+  if(!SWIG_IsOK(res))
+  {
+    SWIG_exception_fail(SWIG_ArgError(res), "in method 'UnwrapBareQWidget'");
+  }
+fail:
+  return NULL;
+}
+
+%}
\ No newline at end of file