diff --git a/scripts/Linux/2_deploy.sh b/scripts/Linux/2_deploy.sh
index d40bd8344..6b61d6bac 100644
--- a/scripts/Linux/2_deploy.sh
+++ b/scripts/Linux/2_deploy.sh
@@ -43,12 +43,18 @@ chmod +x $INSTALL_PATH/usr/bin/meshlab
 
 for plugin in $INSTALL_PATH/usr/lib/meshlab/plugins/*.so
 do
-    patchelf --set-rpath '$ORIGIN/../../:$ORIGIN' $plugin
+    # allow plugins to find linked libraries in usr/lib, usr/lib/meshlab and usr/lib/meshlab/plugins
+    patchelf --set-rpath '$ORIGIN/../../:$ORIGIN/../:$ORIGIN' $plugin
 done
 
-export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$INSTALL_PATH/usr/lib
 $RESOURCES_PATH/linux/linuxdeploy --appdir=$INSTALL_PATH \
   --plugin qt
 
+# after deploy, all required libraries are placed into usr/lib, therefore we can remove the ones in
+# usr/lib/meshlab (except for the ones that are loaded at runtime)
+shopt -s extglob
+cd $INSTALL_PATH/usr/lib/meshlab
+rm -v !("libIFXCore.so"|"libIFXExporting.so"|"libIFXScheduling.so")
+
 #at this point, distrib folder contains all the files necessary to execute meshlab
 echo "$INSTALL_PATH is now a self contained meshlab application"
diff --git a/scripts/Linux/3_pack.sh b/scripts/Linux/3_pack.sh
index ac14fd77d..b4c391f13 100644
--- a/scripts/Linux/3_pack.sh
+++ b/scripts/Linux/3_pack.sh
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ case $i in
 esac
 done
 
-export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:$INSTALL_PATH/usr/lib
 $RESOURCES_PATH/linux/linuxdeploy --appdir=$INSTALL_PATH \
   --output appimage
 
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index e6d4eec1d..a446d4d3e 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ if (MESHLAB_USE_DEFAULT_BUILD_AND_INSTALL_DIRS) # otherwise, we assume that all
 	include(GNUInstallDirs)
 	if(INSTALL_TO_UNIX_LAYOUT)
 		set(MESHLAB_BIN_INSTALL_DIR ${CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR})
-		set(MESHLAB_LIB_INSTALL_DIR ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR})
-		set(MESHLAB_PLUGIN_INSTALL_DIR ${MESHLAB_LIB_INSTALL_DIR}/meshlab/plugins)
+		set(MESHLAB_LIB_INSTALL_DIR ${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR}/meshlab)
+		set(MESHLAB_PLUGIN_INSTALL_DIR ${MESHLAB_LIB_INSTALL_DIR}/plugins)
 		set(MESHLAB_SHADER_INSTALL_DIR ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATAROOTDIR}/meshlab/shaders)
 	elseif(APPLE)
 		set(MESHLAB_BIN_INSTALL_DIR .)
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ if (MESHLAB_USE_DEFAULT_BUILD_AND_INSTALL_DIRS) # otherwise, we assume that all
 
 	### Install Settings
 	if (NOT APPLE)
-		set(CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH $ORIGIN/../${MESHLAB_LIB_INSTALL_DIR};$ORIGIN/../${CMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR})
+		set(CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH $ORIGIN/../lib/meshlab)
 	else()
 		SET(CMAKE_INSTALL_RPATH @executable_path/../Frameworks)
 	endif()
diff --git a/src/common/CMakeLists.txt b/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
index 73f864870..c4ddb0d19 100644
--- a/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -180,6 +180,6 @@ if(MESHLAB_ENABLE_DEBUG_LOG_FILE)
 endif()
 
 set_target_properties(meshlab-common PROPERTIES
-	INSTALL_RPATH "${MESHLAB_LIB_INSTALL_DIR}:${INSTALL_RPATH}")
+	INSTALL_RPATH "$ORIGIN")
 
 install(TARGETS meshlab-common DESTINATION ${MESHLAB_LIB_INSTALL_DIR})
diff --git a/src/meshlabplugins/io_u3d/io_u3d.cpp b/src/meshlabplugins/io_u3d/io_u3d.cpp
index bff0358ff..963ac13d4 100644
--- a/src/meshlabplugins/io_u3d/io_u3d.cpp
+++ b/src/meshlabplugins/io_u3d/io_u3d.cpp
@@ -35,22 +35,35 @@
 #include <QSettings>
 #include <IDTF/Converter.h>
 
+#ifdef __linux__
+
+#define _GNU_SOURCE
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+
+/**
+ * @brief returns the path of the shared object file that contains this function, which is
+ * the path where the shared object (libio_u3d.so) is placed in the system.
+ */
+std::string getLibPath() {
+	Dl_info dlInfo;
+	dladdr((void*)getLibPath, &dlInfo);
+	if (dlInfo.dli_sname != NULL && dlInfo.dli_saddr != NULL) {
+		// the full path, included libio_u3d.so
+		std::string path = dlInfo.dli_fname;
+		// remove from the path everything after the last occurrence of '/'
+		path = path.substr(0, path.find_last_of('/'));
+		return path;
+	}
+	else {
+		return std::string(".");
+	}
+}
+#endif
+
 using namespace std;
 using namespace vcg;
 
-#ifdef BUILD_MODE
-const std::string LIB_IDTF_PATH = "../external/downloads/u3d-1.5.0";
-#else
-#ifdef __APPLE__
-const std::string LIB_IDTF_PATH = "../Frameworks";
-#elif __linux__
-const std::string LIB_IDTF_PATH = "../lib";
-#else
-const std::string LIB_IDTF_PATH = ".";
-#endif
-#endif
-
-
 U3DIOPlugin::U3DIOPlugin() :
 	QObject(), IOPlugin()
 {
@@ -75,6 +88,18 @@ void U3DIOPlugin::save(
 		const RichParameterList & par, 
 		vcg::CallBackPos *)
 {
+#ifdef BUILD_MODE
+	const std::string LIB_IDTF_PATH = "../external/downloads/u3d-1.5.1";
+#else
+#ifdef __APPLE__
+	const std::string LIB_IDTF_PATH = "../Frameworks";
+#elif __linux__
+	const std::string LIB_IDTF_PATH = getLibPath() + "/..";
+#else
+	const std::string LIB_IDTF_PATH = ".";
+#endif
+#endif
+
 	vcg::tri::Allocator<CMeshO>::CompactVertexVector(m.cm);
 	vcg::tri::Allocator<CMeshO>::CompactFaceVector(m.cm);