Apple, Pixar, Adobe, NVIDIA, Autodesk form an organization 'AOUSD' aiming to standardize the 3D framework

On August 1, 2023 local time, five companies, Apple, Pixar , Adobe , Autodesk , and NVIDIA , jointly with the Joint Development Foundation (JDF), an affiliate of the Linux Foundation , a Linux standardization organization, Pixar established the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) to promote the standardization, development, evolution and growth of Universal Scene Description (USD) technology.

Pixar, Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, and NVIDIA form Alliance for OpenUSD - Apple
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/08/pixar-adobe-apple-autodesk-and-nvidia-form-alliance-for-openusd/

Apple Announces Alliance With Adobe, NVIDIA, and Others to Develop Pixar's 3D Standard - MacRumors
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/08/01/apple-alliance-to-develop-pixar-3d-standard/

USD is a high-performance, extensible software platform for collaboratively building 3D animations developed by CG animation production company Pixar. AOUSD aims to evolve the function of OpenUSD, which is the open source version of USD, and standardize it as a 3D ecosystem.

AOUSD improves interoperability of 3D tools and data, building 3D-enabled products and services that make it increasingly easier for developers and content creators to describe, compose and simulate large-scale 3D projects. We partner with Apple, Pixar, Adobe, NVIDIA and Autodisk to make it possible.

AOUSD describes OpenUSD as “a high-performance 3D scene description technology that provides robust interoperability across tools, data and workflows. OpenUSD is already known for its ability to collaboratively capture artistic expression and streamline cinematic content production. The power and flexibility of OpenUSD makes it an ideal content platform to embrace the needs of new industries and applications.'

With the launch of AOUSD, a written specification will be developed that details the functionality of OpenUSD. This will allow for greater compatibility, wider adoption, integration, implementation, and incorporation into specifications by other standards bodies. The JDF was chosen as the base for the project because it allows for open, efficient and effective development, and provides a path to approval through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

In addition, AOUSD will also provide a primary forum for jointly defining technology enhancements by the larger industry. AOUSD invites a wide range of companies and organizations to participate in the forum to determine the future of OpenUSD.

GitHub - PixarAnimationStudios/OpenUSD: Universal Scene Description
https://github.com/PixarAnimationStudios/OpenUSD

“USD is our cutting-edge animation pipeline technology platform, invented at Pixar,” said Steve May, Pixar Chief Technology Officer and Chairman of AOUSD. We open-sourced USD in 2016. OpenUSD's impact now extends beyond film, visual effects, and animation to other industries that increasingly rely on 3D data for media exchange. With the launch of AOUSD, we aim for the exciting next step in the continued evolution of OpenUSD as a technology and its status as an international standard.'

“At Adobe, we believe in providing artists with a set of flexible and powerful solutions that work on a variety of devices,” said Guido Quaroni, Senior Director of 3D&I Engineering at Adobe. Leveraging 3D data representation doubles the value that each package or device brings.OpenUSD was created as one such multiplier, a diverse group of companies to support innovative and open technologies. are excited to work together,' he said.

'From artistic creation to content delivery, OpenUSD will accelerate the next generation of AR experiences and help create an increasingly broad range of spatial computing applications,' said Mike Rockwell, vice president of Apple's Vision Products Group. Apple is an active contributor to the development of USD, an integral technology for the groundbreaking visionOS platform and the new Reality Composer Pro developer tools, and we are driving its growth into a widely adopted standard. I look forward to doing it,' he said.

'Whether they're building CG worlds, digital twins, or looking to the 3D web, content creators are moving data across tools, services, and platforms,' ​​said Gordon Bradley, Media & Entertainment Fellow at Autodisk. Needing a consistent way to collaborate and share, Autodisk drives 3D interoperability for visual effects, animation, and more to support our vision of helping our customers design and build a better world. We are excited to support AOUSD.'

'OpenUSD provides 3D developers, artists and designers with extensive multi-app interoperability for large-scale industrial and digital content creation and simulation,' said Guy Martin, director of open source and standards at NVIDIA. Providing a complete foundation for tackling your workloads, this partnership will enable collaboration with OpenUSD by building formal standards across the industry and making efforts to enable 3D worlds and industrial digitization. It's a unique opportunity to accelerate globally,' he said.

AOUSD's steering committee members are scheduled to perform at the Academy Software Foundation on August 6, 2023.

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