Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the gaming industry’s top leaders? Learn more about GamesBeat Summit sponsorship opportunities here.
I see the Alliance for OpenUSD as a group that sets standards for the open industrial and enterprise metaverse. Today, they are announcing two new working groups and a collaborative liaison relationship.
The goal is to unite the industry around common technical formats for interoperable digital technologies. OpenUSD, based on a 3D file format pioneered at Pixar known as Universal Scene Description (USD), will simplify the formatting of objects like a digital dress on all e-commerce sites.
The Alliance for OpenUSD is dedicated to promoting interoperability in 3D workflows. They have welcomed eight new general members, including Ansys, Bright Machines, Intel, Maxon, Siemens, Trimble, Worley, and WPP. Intel’s involvement is significant, as Nvidia, the creator of the Omniverse platform, initially drove much of this.
“Extending Intel’s long history of supporting standards development and open ecosystems, we are pleased to announce our participation in the OpenUSD community to provide complete platform solutions,” said Rob Bruckner, corporate vice president and CTO of Client Platform and Definition (CPAD) at Intel.
GB Event
GamesBeat Summit Call for Speakers
We are excited to announce our call for speakers for our flagship event, GamesBeat Summit 2024, hosted in Los Angeles, where we will explore the theme of “Resilience and Adaptation”.
Apply to speak here
Materials working group will improve 3D Workflows
The alliance has formed the Materials Working Group, a standards group focused on enhancing 3D workflows for look development. This group aims to standardize material definitions within OpenUSD, promoting seamless collaboration across various tools, applications, and renderers. By ensuring the consistency and predictability of OpenUSD materials, developers can confidently use them across the ecosystem, ensuring stability both now and in the future.
Geometry Working Group advances standardization in virtual and physical worlds
At the same time, the alliance has introduced the Geometry Working Group, an initiative building upon the ongoing efforts of the Core Specification Working Group.
This new group will create specifications for describing surfaces, shapes, and volumes in USD for both virtual and physical realms. Additionally, the Geometry Working Group will set interoperability standards for CAD geometry data, essential for formalizing OpenUSD geometry specifications across various industries.
This standardization ensures that geometry modeled in one tool displays consistent behavior in all other USD-compliant tools, a critical requirement for numerous sectors including media, entertainment, industrial, manufacturing, architecture, engineering, and construction.
Collaboration with Academy Software Foundation
The Alliance for OpenUSD also solidified its commitment to collaboration by establishing a liaison relationship with the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF).
This partnership facilitates communication and coordination between AOUSD and ASWF, with a particular focus on material interchange through ASWF’s MaterialX project. The collaboration aims to empower the motion picture community to develop and deploy advanced solutions, driving innovation in the industry.
David Morin, Executive Director of the Academy Software Foundation, stated, “The formalization of our relationship will facilitate cross-collaboration and communication, accelerating open-source adoption and interoperability across the industry.”
Pixar, a significant contributor to AOUSD, unveiled OpenUSD v24.03, introducing features that enhance usability and compatibility across platforms and applications.
Notably, the release includes support for Unicode identifiers, allowing source data originating in non-Latin-based languages to be natively represented in USD content. This feature enables content creators worldwide to encode USD in their native languages.
“We are thrilled to be part of this initiative and collaborate with other industry leaders to deliver the next generation of simulation, digital twins, and data management,” said Shane Emswiler, senior vice president of products at Ansys, in a statement.
Bright Machines: “OpenUSD’s comprehensive technology and platform will catalyze Design for Automated Assembly and enhance our clients’ New Product Introduction process through the ability to simulate new products quickly.” – Lior Susan, CEO, and Executive Chairman of Bright Machines.
The Alliance for OpenUSD’s strategic expansion, establishment of crucial working groups, and collaboration with the Academy Software Foundation highlight the industry’s growing commitment to fostering interoperability in 3D workflows.
GamesBeat’s creed when covering the game industry is “where passion meets business.” What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you — not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.
