diff --git a/src/db/db/dbInstElement.h b/src/db/db/dbInstElement.h
index 850c93e63..b49a67de4 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbInstElement.h
+++ b/src/db/db/dbInstElement.h
@@ -85,7 +85,8 @@ struct DB_PUBLIC InstElement
    *
    *  @param bc The bounding box converter for the cell instance (db::box_convert<db::CellInst>)
    */
-  db::Box bbox (const db::box_convert<db::CellInst> &bc) const
+  template <class BoxConvert>
+  db::Box bbox (const BoxConvert &bc) const
   {
     if (whole_array ()) {
       //  this is the whole array
diff --git a/src/edt/edt/edtService.cc b/src/edt/edt/edtService.cc
index d6ff82a2d..9492b4ed0 100644
--- a/src/edt/edt/edtService.cc
+++ b/src/edt/edt/edtService.cc
@@ -627,7 +627,7 @@ Service::selection_bbox ()
 
     db::CplxTrans ctx_trans = db::CplxTrans (layout.dbu ()) * cv.context_trans () * r->trans ();
 
-    db::box_convert<db::CellInst> bc (layout);
+    db::box_convert<db::CellInst, false> bc (layout);
     if (! r->is_cell_inst ()) {
 
       const std::vector<db::DCplxTrans> *tv_list = tv.per_cv_and_layer (r->cv_index (), r->layer ());
diff --git a/src/edt/edt/edtServiceImpl.cc b/src/edt/edt/edtServiceImpl.cc
index bc72ec62e..634a70a86 100644
--- a/src/edt/edt/edtServiceImpl.cc
+++ b/src/edt/edt/edtServiceImpl.cc
@@ -1686,7 +1686,7 @@ InstService::do_begin_edit (const db::DPoint &p)
   std::pair<bool, db::cell_index_type> ci = make_cell (cv);
   if (ci.first) {
     // use the snapped lower left corner of the bbox unless the origin is inside the bbox
-    db::Box cell_bbox = cv->layout ().cell (ci.second).bbox ();
+    db::Box cell_bbox = cv->layout ().cell (ci.second).bbox_with_empty ();
     if (! m_place_origin && ! cell_bbox.contains (db::Point ())) {
       db::CplxTrans ct (1.0, m_angle, m_mirror, db::DVector ());
       m_disp = db::DPoint () + (m_disp - snap (cell_bbox.transformed (ct).lower_left () * cv->layout ().dbu ()));
@@ -1830,7 +1830,7 @@ InstService::do_mouse_move (const db::DPoint &p)
   std::pair<bool, db::cell_index_type> ci = make_cell (cv);
   if (ci.first) {
     //  use the snapped lower left corner of the bbox unless the origin is inside the bbox
-    db::Box cell_bbox = cv->layout ().cell (ci.second).bbox ();
+    db::Box cell_bbox = cv->layout ().cell (ci.second).bbox_with_empty ();
     if (! m_place_origin && ! cell_bbox.contains (db::Point ())) {
       db::CplxTrans ct (1.0, m_angle, m_mirror, db::DVector ());
       m_disp = db::DPoint () + (m_disp - snap (cell_bbox.transformed (ct).lower_left () * cv->layout ().dbu ()));
diff --git a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layFinder.cc b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layFinder.cc
index 6564e5f7e..bce8845b6 100644
--- a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layFinder.cc
+++ b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layFinder.cc
@@ -100,13 +100,13 @@ Finder::start (lay::LayoutViewBase *view, unsigned int cv_index, const std::vect
 
   if (layers.size () == 1) {
 
-    m_box_convert = db::box_convert <db::CellInst> (*mp_layout, (unsigned int) layers [0]);
-    m_cell_box_convert = db::box_convert <db::Cell> ((unsigned int) layers [0]);
+    m_box_convert = db::box_convert <db::CellInst, false> (*mp_layout, (unsigned int) layers [0]);
+    m_cell_box_convert = db::box_convert <db::Cell, false> ((unsigned int) layers [0]);
 
   } else {
 
-    m_box_convert = db::box_convert <db::CellInst> (*mp_layout);
-    m_cell_box_convert = db::box_convert <db::Cell> ();
+    m_box_convert = db::box_convert <db::CellInst, false> (*mp_layout);
+    m_cell_box_convert = db::box_convert <db::Cell, false> ();
 
   }
 
@@ -836,10 +836,10 @@ InstFinder::visit_cell (const db::Cell &cell, const db::Box &search_box, const d
           ++*mp_progress;
 
           db::Box ibox;
-          if (inst_cell.bbox ().empty ()) {
+          if (inst_cell.bbox_with_empty ().empty ()) {
             ibox = db::Box (db::Point (0, 0), db::Point (0, 0));
           } else if (! m_visible_layers || level == mp_view->get_max_hier_levels () - 1 || mp_view->is_cell_hidden (inst_cell.cell_index (), m_cv_index)) {
-            ibox = inst_cell.bbox ();
+            ibox = inst_cell.bbox_with_empty ();
           } else {
             for (std::vector<int>::const_iterator l = m_visible_layer_indexes.begin (); l != m_visible_layer_indexes.end (); ++l) {
               ibox += inst_cell.bbox (*l);
@@ -914,10 +914,10 @@ InstFinder::visit_cell (const db::Cell &cell, const db::Box &search_box, const d
           double d = std::numeric_limits<double>::max ();
 
           db::Box ibox;
-          if (inst_cell.bbox ().empty ()) {
+          if (inst_cell.bbox_with_empty ().empty ()) {
             ibox = db::Box (db::Point (0, 0), db::Point (0, 0));
           } else if (! m_visible_layers || level == mp_view->get_max_hier_levels () - 1 || mp_view->is_cell_hidden (inst_cell.cell_index (), m_cv_index)) {
-            ibox = inst_cell.bbox ();
+            ibox = inst_cell.bbox_with_empty ();
           } else {
             for (std::vector<int>::const_iterator l = m_visible_layer_indexes.begin (); l != m_visible_layer_indexes.end (); ++l) {
               ibox += inst_cell.bbox (*l);
diff --git a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layFinder.h b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layFinder.h
index d02aaa09a..d93e0c9f1 100644
--- a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layFinder.h
+++ b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layFinder.h
@@ -218,8 +218,8 @@ private:
   bool m_point_mode;
   bool m_catch_all;
   bool m_top_level_sel;
-  db::box_convert <db::CellInst> m_box_convert;
-  db::box_convert <db::Cell> m_cell_box_convert;
+  db::box_convert <db::CellInst, false> m_box_convert;
+  db::box_convert <db::Cell, false> m_cell_box_convert;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layRedrawThreadWorker.cc b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layRedrawThreadWorker.cc
index 5e86f737a..ef86fb2b8 100644
--- a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layRedrawThreadWorker.cc
+++ b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layRedrawThreadWorker.cc
@@ -2282,7 +2282,7 @@ RedrawThreadWorker::iterate_variants_rec (const std::vector <db::Box> &redraw_re
       db::Coord lim = std::numeric_limits<db::Coord>::max ();
       db::DBox world (trans * db::Box (db::Point (-lim, -lim), db::Point (lim, lim)));
       db::Box vp = db::Box (trans.inverted () * (world & db::DBox (*rr)));
-      vp &= mp_layout->cell (ci).bbox (); // this avoids problems when accessing designs through very large viewports
+      vp &= mp_layout->cell (ci).bbox_with_empty (); // this avoids problems when accessing designs through very large viewports
       if (! vp.empty ()) {
         actual_regions.push_back (vp);
       }