Appendix A. Setting up a Python programming environment for OpenUSD
Before you progress to Chapter 2 and begin creating an OpenUSD scene via programming, you will need to prepare your tools by first, selecting a method of visualizing your scene and secondly, setting up a programming environment for OpenUSD.
There follows a step by step approach to setting up your system for working with OpenUSD. The first part, Visualizing OpenUSD, suggests tools that allow you to view .usd files via a viewport with a Graphic User Interface (GUI). The second part, which prepares you for the main topic of this book, teaches readers how to easily set up a coding environment to program OpenUSD using Python.
For Python scripting, we will consistently use command terminals or notebooks externally from the viewers throughout the book. In other words, we will create the .usd files by scripting outside of the viewers, then open or import these files to view them in a GUI. The exception to this rule is USDComposer, where scripting can be done either internally or externally. This approach allows us to present the information more efficiently by avoiding the need to continually address any differences between scripting environments in various viewers.
There are many options available for viewing .usd files, such as USDView (PC or Linux), or Blender, which will run on PC, Mac, or Linux. Mac users can also view .usd files with the built in applications Preview or Quicklook.