diff --git a/GUI/Model/Util/UtilXML.cpp b/GUI/Model/Util/UtilXML.cpp
index 15aee017cd343e3eb414ec92d52aa848c1efcbd9..172caaba995d8137163c933eeb2dd78f5bc6cc29 100644
--- a/GUI/Model/Util/UtilXML.cpp
+++ b/GUI/Model/Util/UtilXML.cpp
@@ -133,22 +133,21 @@ void XML::readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeName,
     *c = QColor(parameter_value);
 }
 
-void XML::readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeBaseName, R3* vec)
+R3 XML::readR3(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeBaseName)
 {
     double x, y, z;
     readAttribute(reader, attributeBaseName + "X", &x);
     readAttribute(reader, attributeBaseName + "Y", &y);
     readAttribute(reader, attributeBaseName + "Z", &z);
-    *vec = {x, y, z};
+    return {x, y, z};
 }
 
-void XML::readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeBaseName, complex_t* c)
+complex_t XML::readC(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeBaseName)
 {
     double r, i;
     readAttribute(reader, attributeBaseName + "Re", &r);
     readAttribute(reader, attributeBaseName + "Im", &i);
-    c->real(r);
-    c->imag(i);
+    return {r, i};
 }
 
 QString XML::readAttributeString(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeName)
diff --git a/GUI/Model/Util/UtilXML.h b/GUI/Model/Util/UtilXML.h
index 77eaffa9b1a9fb06a043b14e93eb4306d9563ecd..c641c970aeb827bbbb2ca7ea35b9939922d36009 100644
--- a/GUI/Model/Util/UtilXML.h
+++ b/GUI/Model/Util/UtilXML.h
@@ -65,8 +65,10 @@ void readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeName, unsig
 void readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeName, double* d);
 void readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeName, QString* s);
 void readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeName, QColor* c);
-void readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeBaseName, R3* vec);
-void readAttribute(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeBaseName, complex_t* c);
+
+// TODO: will the following remain unused?
+R3 readR3(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeBaseName);
+complex_t readC(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeBaseName);
 
 QString readAttributeString(QXmlStreamReader* reader, const QString& attributeName);