2 Creating an OpenUSD scene
This chapter covers
- Crafting a USD scene using Python scripts and modules
- Creating a stage with simple geometries
- Importing and referencing assets and defining object layouts
- Examining the different types of .usd file
Now, let’s walk through the process of creating and populating a USD stage. We'll start by exploring the fundamental elements of a USD stage, then begin creating a very simple scene containing basic geometries to understand the fundamentals of creating a .usd file and adding objects to the scene.
In practice, using pre-existing 3D models is far more common than relying on simple geometric shapes. These models are incorporated into a scene by referencing external files, which assigns them a place in the scene hierarchy. Later in this chapter, we’ll explore a more complex example: a kitchen scene composed of various objects. While we won’t create this scene, we’ll analyze its structure to illustrate the hierarchical relationships between objects (or prims) on a stage. This will highlight how objects can nest within one another, forming a parent/child relationship.
Having explored the theory of referencing, we'll put your newly acquired knowledge into practice by creating a concrete example of referencing assets. We’ll guide you through building a new USD stage, where you'll reference another .usd file that we’ve created and made available for you to download.