In 2022, five industry leaders – Pixar, Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, and NVIDIA – launched the Alliance for OpenUSD, a collaborative effort to drive adoption and standardization of the USD (Universal Scene Description) file format as the future gold standard for creating, sharing, and distributing 3D content. The ubiquitous Universal Scene Description (USD), often referred to as the “HTML of the metaverse” by NVIDIA, was touted as a framework for streamlining the setup and packaging of complex 3D scenes, poised to accelerate the development of next-generation AR experiences, according to Apple’s forecasts.
Microsoft and Sony have joined forces with the Alliance for OpenUSD to champion Common Scene Description (USD) as a key innovation driving progress in authoring and packaging complex 3D content. To facilitate seamless collaboration among 3D authoring tools such as Maya, 3ds Max, Houdini, and Substance Painter, a single file format is envisioned that combines geometry, lighting, animations, and additional features, allowing for efficient portability across multiple platforms.
Alongside industry giants Apple, Microsoft, and Sony, the group comprises various key stakeholders tied to the XR (Extended Reality) trade, including Meta and Epic Games.
Apple views the US dollar as a vital building block for the XR ecosystem.
Apple’s Vice President of Vision Products Group stated at the Alliance for OpenUSD launch: “OpenUSD will accelerate the subsequent evolution of AR experiences, from creative development to content provision, and unlock an increasingly diverse range of spatial computing capabilities.” “Apple has played a significant role in shaping the development of USD (Universal Scene Description) technology, with its contribution being essential to the successful launch of the innovative visionOS platform, as well as the introduction of the Reality Composer Pro developer tool.” We commit to nurturing its growth into a widely accepted standard.
