OpenUSD for Developers
NVIDIA continues to expand development of Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD or USD) to help our industrial and scientific communities build large-scale, physically accurate digital twins. OpenUSD is foundational to NVIDIA Omniverse™, the platform for developing OpenUSD applications for industrial digitalization and generative physical AI.
NVIDIA is also working with an ecosystem of partners through the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD)—including Pixar, Adobe, Apple, and Autodesk—to evolve OpenUSD as it becomes one of the building blocks in the era of AI and industrial digitalization.
How It Works
OpenUSD is an open-source framework for creating, simulating, and collaborating in 3D worlds. Developed by Pixar Animation Studios, OpenUSD goes beyond a file format to support 3D content creation and tool interchange. This versatility has made OpenUSD an industry standard in VFX, architecture, robotics, manufacturing, and more.
OpenUSD Overview
Check out this guide for samples, technical references, and tools to help you get started with OpenUSD.
Explainer Blog
Learn how developers are adopting OpenUSD in the era of AI and industrial digitalization to accelerate their 3D workflows.
Introductory Videos
Watch this introductory series to learn about the four superpowers of OpenUSD that you can use to unlock new possibilities in 3D workflows.
Learn OpenUSD
Learn the fundamentals of working with OpenUSD, including nondestructive workflows, layers, and scene composition.
Ways to Get Started With OpenUSD
Use the pre-built libraries to start exploring and learning with OpenUSD content like USD samples, or start developing for OpenUSD using the latest USD Python build or API.
Download Pre-Built OpenUSD Libraries and Tools
Download a full build of OpenUSD, which includes pre-built libraries and the USD toolset. The Windows download also comes fully bootstrapped so you can immediately execute usdview or any other bundled USD tool.
By downloading or using the pre-built OpenUSD libraries, you agree to the terms of the NVIDIA Omniverse License Agreement.
Download the usd-core Python Package on PyPI
The usd-core package is also available if you want to experiment with the USD Python API or if you only need the core USD features for reading and writing USD stages and layers. USD comes pre-built, and it's just a "pip install" away.
NVIDIA NIM™ Microservices for OpenUSD
Leverage generative AI copilots and agents to develop OpenUSD tools that accelerate the creation of 3D worlds.
USD Code
State-of-the-art LLM that answers OpenUSD knowledge queries and generates USD-Python code.
USD Search
AI-powered search for OpenUSD data, 3D models, images, and assets using text or image-based inputs.
USD Validate
Verify compatibility of OpenUSD assets with instant RTX render and rule-based validation.
OpenUSD Example Projects and Sample Assets
Free and open-source USD samples are available for download through NVIDIA Omniverse and partner sites. Explore the NVIDIA Learning Library for more.
Da Vinci Workshop—Project by NVIDIA
The da Vinci Workshop showcases how the NVIDIA creative team structured this amazing environment to develop a complete USD film production pipeline.
Residential Lobby—Project by NVIDIA
The Residential Lobby project showcases the use of multiple USD composition arcs to help a multi-person design team create an architectural environment.
AECO Demo Pack—Sample by Cesium
Download Cesium 3D geospatial data for architectural, engineering, construction, and operations workflows.
Kitchen Set—Sample Asset by Pixar
A complete kitchen asset provided by Pixar. The original model was created by a former intern using Pixar’s Renderman and has been optimized for USD.
USD ALab—Dataset by Animal Logic
ALab is a full-production scene by Animal Logic for exploration, training, and testing of USD support. It contains 300+ assets, including high-quality textures and characters with looping animation.
4004 Moore Lane—USD Scene by Intel®
4004 Moore Lane is an open source USD asset designed to provide a fully composed, high-quality scene for testing various visual computing issues.
NVIDIA OpenUSD Learning Library
More Resources
Explore curated USD and Hydra resources to further accelerate your learning journey.
Documentation and References
Documentation: Pixar's USD Documentation
Documentation: Glossary of USD Terminology
Documentation: NVIDIA USD Documentation
Documentation: NVIDIA USD Python and C++ Code Samples
GitHub: NVIDIA USD Plugin Samples
Documentation: USD Cookbook by Colin Kennedy
Documentation: Remedy Entertainment's Book of USD
Videos and Learning
Tutorial: USD Primer by Rob Stauffer, SideFX
Tutorial: Overview of USD and Hydra by Pixar
Tutorial: USD On-Demand Video Training Content
Tutorial: Understand USD Fundamentals by Apple
Tutorial: USD at Remedy