Industry leaders Pixar, Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, and NVIDIA – in partnership with the Joint Development Foundation (JDF) – have announced the formation of the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD).
The main objective of AOUSD is to promote the standardisation, development, evolution, and growth of Pixar’s Universal Scene Description (USD) technology, thereby advancing the capabilities of Open Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD).
OpenUSD, originally created by Pixar Animation Studios, is a cutting-edge 3D scene description technology designed to facilitate interoperability across various tools, data, and workflows. Its powerful features allow for collaborative artistic expression and streamlined content production in fields such as film, visual effects, and animation.
Steve May, CTO at Pixar and Chairperson of AOUSD, said:
“Universal Scene Description was invented at Pixar and is the technological foundation of our state-of-the-art animation pipeline.
OpenUSD is based on years of research and application in Pixar filmmaking. We open-sourced the project in 2016, and the influence of OpenUSD now expands beyond film, visual effects, and animation and into other industries that increasingly rely on 3D data for media interchange.
With the announcement of AOUSD, we signal the exciting next step: the continued evolution of OpenUSD as a technology and its position as an international standard.”
With this alliance, OpenUSD’s influence is expected to extend even further into industries increasingly reliant on 3D data for media interchange.
The primary goal of AOUSD is to develop written specifications outlining the features of OpenUSD. This will lead to greater compatibility and wider adoption, integration, and implementation across different industries.
By hosting the project under the Linux Foundation’s JDF, the alliance ensures efficient and effective development of OpenUSD specifications and the potential for recognition through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Several other industry leaders have also shared their enthusiasm for the alliance and OpenUSD technology.
Guido Quaroni, Senior Director of Engineering, 3D&I at Adobe, believes that OpenUSD’s common 3D data representation will significantly enhance creative processes.
Apple’s VP of the Vision Products Group, Mike Rockwell, highlighted OpenUSD’s importance in fostering the next generation of augmented reality experiences, supporting Apple’s groundbreaking visionOS platform and the new Reality Composer Pro developer tool.
Gordon Bradley, Fellow, Media & Entertainment at Autodesk, stressed the importance of cohesive collaboration and data sharing across tools, services, and platforms for content creators building CG worlds or digital twins. He expressed Autodesk’s commitment to supporting the alliance and driving 3D interoperability in various fields.
Guy Martin, Director of Open Source and Standards at NVIDIA, described OpenUSD as a comprehensive foundation for tackling large-scale industrial, digital content creation, and simulation workloads with broad multi-app interoperability. He emphasised the alliance’s role in accelerating OpenUSD collaboration globally by building formal standards across industries.
The AOUSD steering committee members will be speaking at both the Academy Software Foundation’s Open Source Days on August 6 and at the SIGGRAPH conference at the Autodesk Vision Series on August 8. These events will provide insights into the alliance’s goals and the potential impact of OpenUSD on various industries.
See also: Samsung prepares to announce its Vision Pro rival
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