Setting the Stage#
Welcome to Learn OpenUSD: Foundations! In this first module, you’ll build your understanding of the core building blocks that make up every USD scene. Think of this as learning the vocabulary and grammar before writing your first USD “sentences”.
What You’ll Learn#
By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to:
Create and manipulate USD stages - the top-level containers that hold your 3D scenes
Work with prims - the fundamental building blocks that represent every element in your scene
Add properties to prims - including attributes for data and relationships for connections
Navigate scene hierarchies using prim and property paths
Choose the right USD file format for your specific needs and workflows
Organize data with metadata to enhance collaboration and pipeline efficiency
Handle time-varying data using timecodes and time samples for animation
Why This Matters#
These concepts form the foundation for everything else in OpenUSD. Whether you’re building complex scenes with composition arcs or creating custom schemas, you’ll rely on stages, prims, and properties as your fundamental tools. Understanding these building blocks deeply will make advanced USD concepts much more intuitive.
What’s Next#
Once you’ve mastered these fundamentals, you’ll be ready to explore how USD’s powerful composition system allows you to build complex scenes from reusable components - but first, let’s start with the basics!