Industry Giants Unite to Expand Universal Scene Description for Industrial Applications and Cross-Domain Collaboration

SANTA CLARA — NVIDIA has announced a landmark initiative aimed at advancing the Universal Scene Description (USD) framework to underpin the foundation of the open metaverse and 3D internet. In collaboration with industry heavyweights including Pixar, Adobe, Autodesk, and Siemens, as well as leaders in media, gaming, robotics, industrial automation, and retail, NVIDIA seeks to propel USD beyond its roots in visual effects to empower a new wave of industrial metaverse applications in diverse sectors such as architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and scientific computing.

The initiative, unveiled at NVIDIA’s special address during SIGGRAPH, outlines a multi-year roadmap to enhance USD’s capabilities, facilitating its adoption across a spectrum of industries. Among the forthcoming updates are international character support, enabling participation from users worldwide, and geospatial coordinate support for city-scale and planetary-scale digital twins. Additionally, real-time streaming of IoT data will enable the development of synchronized digital twins, bridging the gap between virtual and physical environments.

To catalyze the development and adoption of USD, NVIDIA has introduced an open USD Compatibility Testing and Certification Suite. This suite empowers developers to validate their USD builds and ensure compatibility with industry standards, fostering a robust ecosystem of interoperable 3D platforms.

Rev Lebaredian, vice president of Omniverse and simulation technology at NVIDIA, emphasized the transformative potential of USD, stating, “Beyond media and entertainment, USD will give 3D artists, designers, developers, and others the ability to work collaboratively across diverse workflows and applications as they build virtual worlds.”

In tandem with the initiative, NVIDIA is releasing a wealth of free resources to accelerate USD adoption, including thousands of purpose-built assets tailored for virtual-world building. Furthermore, the company is providing extensive educational materials and developer tools to facilitate USD integration and proficiency.

Industry leaders have rallied behind NVIDIA’s vision, recognizing USD’s pivotal role in shaping the future of 3D internet. Steve May, chief technology officer at Pixar Animation Studios, lauded NVIDIA’s contributions, emphasizing the broadening scope of USD across industrial, design, and scientific applications.

NVIDIA’s investment extends beyond software development to USD plugin integration with popular 3D software ecosystems. New beta releases include PTC Creo and SideFX Houdini, with collaborations underway with Autodesk, Siemens, and more.

In response to the initiative, Siemens Digital Industries’ chief technology officer, Dirk Didascalou, expressed enthusiasm for USD’s role in enabling the industrial metaverse. Likewise, Raji Arasu, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Autodesk, highlighted the significance of USD’s expansion beyond media and entertainment to design, engineering, and industrial applications.

Early adopters such as Kroger and Volvo Cars underscore the promise of USD in transforming metaverse projects. Mattias Wikenmalm, senior expert of visualization at Volvo Cars, affirmed the value of USD in enabling seamless asset management across virtual worlds, signaling a transformative shift in 3D internet consumer applications.

As NVIDIA spearheads efforts to elevate USD into the cornerstone of the open metaverse and 3D internet, industry collaboration and innovation promise to unlock new frontiers in digital transformation and cross-domain collaboration. For more information on NVIDIA’s USD resources and initiatives, visit their official website.