Archive notice: This article was originally published on 9 December 2019. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Universal Scene Description (USD) has become increasingly important in recent years for improving data exchange between different applications and departments. More and more software tools and developers are planning support and integration for the exchange format, including SideFX (Houdini 18 Solaris), Foundry (Katana) and Autodesk (future Maya versions).
USD in the Pixar Pipeline
For anyone who wants to explore the subject for the first time, Pixar provides an overview here of what USD is used for in its own pipeline: from layout, staging, assets and shading through to animation, lighting and rendering. Pixar also recently released the new RenderMan 23 version, which adds expanded USD support.
Further information: Pixar blog post
