The digital revolution knows no bounds, and in its relentless advance, 3D and augmented reality technologies promise to further transform our daily lives. Today, this field is destined to experience an unprecedented qualitative leap thanks to the historic alliance announced between technological giants such as Apple, Disney Pixar, Adobe, Autodesk and NVIDIA. These powers, together with the Joint Development Foundation (JDF), a subsidiary of the Linux Foundation, have created the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) with a clear objective: to drive the standardization, development, evolution and growth of Pixar’s Universal Scene Description technology.
OpenUSD: A leap into the future of 3D
The idea behind the creation of this alliance is, in essence, to standardize the 3D ecosystem and advance the capabilities of Open Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD). But what exactly is OpenUSD? This technology, born in the labs of Pixar Animation Studios, is a highly efficient tool for 3D scene description, providing robust interoperability between tools, data and workflows.
It is already recognized for its ability to capture collaborative artistic expression and optimize the production of film content. However, its flexibility and power make it the ideal platform to meet the needs of new industries and applications.
The drive of great titans
“Universal Scene Description was invented at Pixar and is the technological foundation of our advanced animation production pipeline,” noted Steve May, Pixar CTO and President of AOUSD. Since its release as an open source project in 2016, OpenUSD has extended its influence beyond film and animation, entering other industries that are increasingly reliant on 3D data.
Adobe, known for its digital solutions, sees OpenUSD as an opportunity to multiply the value that each tool and device brings during the creative process. Mike Rockwell, vice president of Apple’s Vision Products Group, highlights how OpenUSD will accelerate the next generation of augmented reality experiences. In addition, companies such as Autodesk and NVIDIA, see OpenUSD as the cornerstone for 3D content development, from artistic creation to large-scale industrial simulation.
Towards global standardization
The commitment of this alliance is clear: to develop specifications detailing OpenUSD features. The purpose is to enable greater compatibility, adoption, integration and implementation. In addition, the choice of the Linux JDF Foundation to host the project ensures open and efficient development of OpenUSD specifications, providing a path to recognition by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
This collective effort seeks, beyond mere standardization, to provide an exchange platform for the collaborative definition of technology improvements by the entire industry. The invitation is open for a wide range of companies and organizations to join and participate in shaping the future of OpenUSD.
All in all, this historic partnership not only seeks to consolidate the technology we are talking about, but also to open doors to a new era where augmented reality and 3D are seamlessly integrated into our daily, professional and entertainment lives. With the backing of the biggest technological titans, the way seems to be clear for OpenUSD to become the reference in the description of 3D scenes.
Pending the development of the iPhone 15 and the Apple Vision Pro, we await the next advances and developments of this alliance, it is clear that the digital world is at the gates of a transformation that promises to change, once again, our way of relating to technology and the world around us.
Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.
