diff --git a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/adapters/renderItemAdapter.cpp b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/adapters/renderItemAdapter.cpp
index c51b49a90..f0c578d3a 100644
--- a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/adapters/renderItemAdapter.cpp
+++ b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/adapters/renderItemAdapter.cpp
@@ -33,11 +33,7 @@
 #include <pxr/usdImaging/usdImaging/tokens.h>
 
 #include <maya/MAnimControl.h>
-#include <maya/MDGContext.h>
 #include <maya/MDGContextGuard.h>
-#include <maya/MHWGeometry.h>
-#include <maya/MShaderManager.h>
-#include <maya/MViewport2Renderer.h>
 
 #include <functional>
 
diff --git a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/mayaUtils.cpp b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/mayaUtils.cpp
index 50eb0469b..314f8318b 100644
--- a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/mayaUtils.cpp
+++ b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/mayaUtils.cpp
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <maya/MSelectionList.h>
 #include <maya/MObjectArray.h>
 #include <maya/MFnAttribute.h>
+#include <maya/MItDependencyNodes.h>
 
 namespace
 {
@@ -193,6 +194,37 @@ bool IsDagPathAnArnoldSkyDomeLight(const MDagPath& dagPath)
     shapeDagPath.extendToShape();
     return _aiSkyDomeLight == MFnDependencyNode(shapeDagPath.node()).typeName();
 }
- 
+
+
+MObject getDefaultMaterialShadingGroupNode()
+{
+    MStatus status;
+
+    // Iterate over all shading engines
+    MItDependencyNodes itDep(MFn::kShadingEngine, &status);
+    if (status != MStatus::kSuccess) {
+        MGlobal::displayError("Failed to create dependency node iterator.");
+        return MObject::kNullObj;
+    }
+
+    while (!itDep.isDone()) {
+        MObject           shadingEngine = itDep.item();
+        MFnDependencyNode shadingEngineFn(shadingEngine, &status);
+        if (status != MStatus::kSuccess) {
+            MGlobal::displayError("Failed to create dependency node function set.");
+            return MObject::kNullObj;
+        }
+
+        // Is this shading engine the default material ?
+        if (shadingEngineFn.name() == "initialShadingGroup") {
+            return shadingEngine;
+        }
+
+        itDep.next();
+    }
+
+    MGlobal::displayError("Failed to find the default material shader.");
+    return MObject::kNullObj;
+}
 
 } // namespace MAYAHYDRA_NS_DEF
diff --git a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/mayaUtils.h b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/mayaUtils.h
index 6c9ac5ede..cf1d55af3 100644
--- a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/mayaUtils.h
+++ b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/mayaUtils.h
@@ -185,6 +185,14 @@ MObject GetShadingGroupFromShader(const MObject& shader);
  */
 bool IsDagPathAnArnoldSkyDomeLight(const MDagPath& dagPath);
 
+/**
+ * @brief Get the default material shading group node using the shadingEngine named "initialShadingGroup".
+ *
+ * @return a valid MObject if we succeeded finding the default material shading group or MObject::kNullObj otherwise
+ */
+
+MObject getDefaultMaterialShadingGroupNode();
+
 } // namespace MAYAHYDRA_NS_DEF
 
 #endif // MAYAHYDRALIB_MAYA_UTILS_H
diff --git a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/sceneIndex/mayaHydraSceneIndex.cpp b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/sceneIndex/mayaHydraSceneIndex.cpp
index af577d15f..72424aef5 100644
--- a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/sceneIndex/mayaHydraSceneIndex.cpp
+++ b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/sceneIndex/mayaHydraSceneIndex.cpp
@@ -24,15 +24,11 @@
 #include <maya/MDagPath.h>
 #include <maya/MDagPathArray.h>
 #include <maya/MFnComponent.h>
-#include <maya/MFnMesh.h>
 #include <maya/MItDag.h>
-#include <maya/MMatrixArray.h>
 #include <maya/MObjectHandle.h>
 #include <maya/MPlug.h>
-#include <maya/MPlugArray.h>
-#include <maya/MProfiler.h>
+#include <maya/MObjectArray.h>
 #include <maya/MSelectionList.h>
-#include <maya/MShaderManager.h>
 #include <maya/MString.h>
 #include <maya/MGlobal.h>
 #include <maya/MItSelectionList.h>
@@ -163,7 +159,7 @@ TF_DEFINE_PRIVATE_TOKENS(
 
 SdfPath MayaHydraSceneIndex::_fallbackMaterial;
 SdfPath MayaHydraSceneIndex::_mayaDefaultMaterialPath; // Common to all scene indexes
-VtValue MayaHydraSceneIndex::_mayaDefaultMaterialFallback;//Used only if we cannot find the default material named standardSurface1
+VtValue MayaHydraSceneIndex::_mayaDefaultMaterialFallback;//Used only if we cannot find the maya default material
 SdfPath MayaHydraSceneIndex::_mayaDefaultLightPath;           // Common to all scene indexes
 SdfPath MayaHydraSceneIndex::_mayaFacesSelectionMaterialPath; // Common to all scene indexes
 
@@ -773,26 +769,20 @@ VtValue MayaHydraSceneIndex::GetMaterialResource(const SdfPath& id)
     return ret.IsEmpty() ? MayaHydraMaterialAdapter::GetPreviewMaterialResource(id) : ret;
 }
 
-//Create the default material from the "standardSurface1" maya material or create a fallback material if it cannot be found
+//Create the default maya material or create a fallback material if it cannot be found
 void MayaHydraSceneIndex::CreateMayaDefaultMaterialData() 
 { 
-    // Try to get the standardSurface1 material
-    MObject defaultShaderObj;
-    GetDependNodeFromNodeName("standardSurface1", defaultShaderObj); // From mayautils.cpp
-    bool defaultMaterialSuccessfullyCreated = false;
-    if (MObjectHandle(defaultShaderObj).isValid()) {
-        //Get its shading group as it is what we use to create a material adapter
-        MObject defaultMaterialShadingGroupObj
-            = GetShadingGroupFromShader(defaultShaderObj); // From mayautils.cpp
-        if (MObjectHandle(defaultMaterialShadingGroupObj).isValid()) {
-            defaultMaterialSuccessfullyCreated = _CreateMaterial(MayaHydraSceneIndex::_mayaDefaultMaterialPath, defaultMaterialShadingGroupObj);
-        }
-    }
-
-    if (! defaultMaterialSuccessfullyCreated){
-        TF_CODING_WARNING("standardSurface1 material and its shading group could not be retrieved, using a fallback material");
-        // In case we could not create the default material from the standardSurface1 material, we
-        // create a fallback material
+    bool defaultMaterialCreatedSuccessfully = false;
+
+    MObject defaultMaterialShadingGroupObj = getDefaultMaterialShadingGroupNode();
+    if (defaultMaterialShadingGroupObj != MObject::kNullObj) {
+        defaultMaterialCreatedSuccessfully = _CreateMaterial(
+            MayaHydraSceneIndex::_mayaDefaultMaterialPath, defaultMaterialShadingGroupObj);
+    }
+    
+    if (! defaultMaterialCreatedSuccessfully){
+        TF_CODING_WARNING("maya default material and its shading group could not be retrieved, using a fallback material");
+        
         _mayaDefaultMaterialFallback = MayaHydraSceneIndex::_CreateDefaultMaterialFallback();
 
         auto mayaHydraDefaultMaterialDataSource = MayaHydraMaterialDataSource::New(
diff --git a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/sceneIndex/mayaHydraSceneIndex.h b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/sceneIndex/mayaHydraSceneIndex.h
index bea85a75f..a731f9a1b 100644
--- a/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/sceneIndex/mayaHydraSceneIndex.h
+++ b/lib/mayaHydra/hydraExtensions/sceneIndex/mayaHydraSceneIndex.h
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 #include <maya/MFrameContext.h>
 #include <maya/MObject.h>
 #include <maya/MSelectionList.h>
-#include <maya/MViewport2Renderer.h>
 #include <maya/MDrawContext.h>
 
 #include <mayaHydraLib/api.h>
@@ -257,7 +256,7 @@ class MAYAHYDRALIB_API MayaHydraSceneIndex : public HdRetainedSceneIndex, public
     /// Is using an environment variable to tell if we should pass normals to Hydra when using the render item and mesh adapters
     static bool passNormalsToHydra();
 
-    ///Create the default material from the "standardSurface1" maya material or create a fallback material if it cannot be found
+    ///Create the default hydra material from maya default material or create a fallback material if it cannot be found
     void CreateMayaDefaultMaterialData();
 
     /// Get the maya default light path to be used in filtering scene indices to recognize the default light in primitives path
@@ -342,7 +341,7 @@ class MAYAHYDRALIB_API MayaHydraSceneIndex : public HdRetainedSceneIndex, public
     static SdfPath _fallbackMaterial;
     /// _mayaDefaultMaterialPath is common to all scene indexes
     static SdfPath _mayaDefaultMaterialPath;
-    static VtValue _mayaDefaultMaterialFallback;//Used only if we cannot find the default material named standardSurface1
+    static VtValue _mayaDefaultMaterialFallback;//Used only if we cannot find the maya default material
 
     /// _mayaFacesSelectionMaterialPath is a path to a Hydra material used to display the faces selection on nodes when being in components selection mode
     static SdfPath _mayaFacesSelectionMaterialPath;
diff --git a/lib/mayaHydra/mayaPlugin/renderOverride.h b/lib/mayaHydra/mayaPlugin/renderOverride.h
index cfcc5215f..79a7140ad 100644
--- a/lib/mayaHydra/mayaPlugin/renderOverride.h
+++ b/lib/mayaHydra/mayaPlugin/renderOverride.h
@@ -66,10 +66,7 @@
 #include <pxr/pxr.h>
 
 #include <maya/MCallbackIdArray.h>
-#include <maya/MMessage.h>
-#include <maya/MObjectHandle.h>
 #include <maya/MString.h>
-#include <maya/MViewport2Renderer.h>
 
 #include <atomic>
 #include <chrono>
diff --git a/lib/mayaHydra/mayaPlugin/renderOverrideUtils.h b/lib/mayaHydra/mayaPlugin/renderOverrideUtils.h
index 731dff012..63f38daad 100644
--- a/lib/mayaHydra/mayaPlugin/renderOverrideUtils.h
+++ b/lib/mayaHydra/mayaPlugin/renderOverrideUtils.h
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@
 
 #include <pxr/pxr.h>
 
-#include <maya/MViewport2Renderer.h>
-
 PXR_NAMESPACE_OPEN_SCOPE
 
 class MayaHydraPreRender : public MHWRender::MSceneRender
diff --git a/test/lib/mayaUsd/render/mayaToHydra/cpp/testMayaSceneFlattening.cpp b/test/lib/mayaUsd/render/mayaToHydra/cpp/testMayaSceneFlattening.cpp
index 7c66d63d3..088d881bf 100644
--- a/test/lib/mayaUsd/render/mayaToHydra/cpp/testMayaSceneFlattening.cpp
+++ b/test/lib/mayaUsd/render/mayaToHydra/cpp/testMayaSceneFlattening.cpp
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@
 
 #include <pxr/imaging/hd/tokens.h>
 
-#include <maya/MViewport2Renderer.h>
+#include <maya/MDagPath.h>
+#include <maya/MMatrix.h>
 
 #include <gtest/gtest.h>
 
diff --git a/test/lib/mayaUsd/render/mayaToHydra/cpp/testMayaUsdUfeItems.cpp b/test/lib/mayaUsd/render/mayaToHydra/cpp/testMayaUsdUfeItems.cpp
index 1b6a673ca..7d595bdc4 100644
--- a/test/lib/mayaUsd/render/mayaToHydra/cpp/testMayaUsdUfeItems.cpp
+++ b/test/lib/mayaUsd/render/mayaToHydra/cpp/testMayaUsdUfeItems.cpp
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@
 
 #include <pxr/imaging/hd/tokens.h>
 
-#include <maya/MViewport2Renderer.h>
-
 #include <gtest/gtest.h>
 
 PXR_NAMESPACE_USING_DIRECTIVE