USD - Universal Scene Description : What it is & Why should we care

Introduction to USD

In this section, Adrian Lombard introduces the concept of Universal Scene Description (USD) and its significance in the CG industry.

What is USD?

• USD stands for Universal Scene Description.

• It is an open-source technology created by Pixar.

• It allows for collaboration between different departments and software applications.

• USD is more than just a file format; it's a way of describing an entire scene in one file.

Benefits of Using USD

• Allows for easy sharing and reusing of scenes between software and studios.

• Solves issues with exchanging data between companies with different workflows.

• Ensures consistency in the look of assets or shots across different vendors or studios.

Types of USD Files

• .usd: Compressed binary representation, lightweight and fast to save.

• .usda: Uncompressed ASCII version, editable with a script editor.

• .usdz: Archive containing multiple usd files and related data, suitable for augmented reality.

Streamlining Data Sharing with USD

This section discusses how using USD can streamline data sharing within the industry and improve collaboration efficiency.

Challenges in Data Sharing

• Sharing large environment scenes with other departments like animation or effects can be challenging.

• Collaboration and communication need to be more efficient to achieve better visuals.

Transitioning to USD Pipeline

• Many big studios are transitioning towards an USD pipeline for improved communication and collaboration efficiency.

New Section

This section discusses the open-source nature of USD (Universal Scene Description) and provides instructions for downloading the source code from GitHub for those interested in contributing to its development.

Downloading Source Code

• USD is open source and its source code can be downloaded from GitHub.

• Technical individuals who wish to contribute to the code can find instructions on how to download and set it up for editing.

• Links to the instructions are provided in the video description.

New Section

This section highlights Pixar's contribution to USD with their asset scene visualizer called USD Viewer. It also mentions other software, such as Houdini's Solaris, that have integrated support for USD.

Pixar's Contribution: USD Viewer

• Pixar has developed a tool called USD Viewer, which allows users to quickly visualize assets or scenes.

• It is a handy tool for checking the look of an asset or scene without much effort.

• Additionally, it is possible to integrate rendering engines like SideFX's Karma into USD Viewer.

Houdini's Solaris Integration

• Houdini, specifically in version 18 released in 2019, introduced Solaris as a feature that embraces USD.

• In version 19, Solaris became more production-ready with various tools supporting USD scene creation.

• Solaris offers features like physical layout interaction, asset manipulation using brushes, instancing support, and an upgraded Karma engine that takes advantage of GPU power.

• Other rendering engines integrated into Solaris include RenderMan, Redshift, Arnold, and V-Ray.

New Section

This section discusses how larger studios benefit from using USD but also highlights advantages that make it appealing for smaller companies. It mentions Unreal Engine 5's support for USD and NVIDIA's real-time ray tracer called Omniverse.

Benefits for Larger Studios

• USD is beneficial for larger studios due to its ability to handle complex scenes with a high number of instances, procedural material assignments, and a layering system.

• It offers fast export times and saves memory space, making it suitable for blockbuster productions.

Advantages for Smaller Companies

• USD's advantages, such as efficient scene management and collaboration capabilities, can help smaller companies become more organized and collaborative.

• Ingenuity Studio is an example of a company that has successfully utilized Solaris and USD in fast-paced production projects like music videos and TV shows.

Unreal Engine 5 and NVIDIA Omniverse

• Unreal Engine 5 now supports USD, making it accessible to real-time industries.

• NVIDIA has developed Omniverse, a real-time ray tracer that fully works with USD.

• Omniverse enables collaboration between various software applications (e.g., 3ds Max, Maya, Houdini) through live bridges.

New Section

This section emphasizes the advantages of using USD in terms of fast export times, memory efficiency, procedural material assignments, and collaboration. It mentions Ingenuity Studio's successful use of Solaris and USD in their projects.

Advantages of Using USD

• Fast export times: Allows for efficient workflow when exporting scenes or assets.

• Memory space saving: Despite having complex scenes with numerous instances, USD optimizes memory usage.

• Procedural material assignments: Provides flexibility in assigning materials to objects within the scene.

• Layering system: Offers a layered approach to scene organization and management.

Ingenuity Studio's Success Story

• Ingenuity Studio has been utilizing Solaris and USD for several years in their projects.

• They have successfully used these tools in music video and TV production where fast-paced production was required.

• Grand Miller's talk at Craft 2021 provides insights into their experience with USD pipeline and Solaris.

New Section

This section concludes the transcript by expressing enthusiasm for Solaris and announces the start of a tutorial series on converting assets into USD.

Conclusion and Tutorial Series

• The speaker expresses excitement about Solaris and thanks SideFX for its development.

• A tutorial series will begin, focusing on converting Mega Scan assets into USD with Material X shaders.

• The goal is to create a small library for experimentation and eventually build a simple environment scene.

Timestamps are provided in seconds (s) format.