Building Bridges in 3D: AOUSD and Khronos Collaborate on OpenUSD and glTF Interoperability

December 11, 2023 by The Khronos Group and Alliance for OpenUSD gltf

In a world where 3D content creation and distribution are rapidly evolving, the need for seamless interoperability and shared standards has never been more critical. That's why the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) and Khronos Group have today announced a liaison agreement to align and enhance OpenUSD and glTF technologies. This liaison marks a significant step towards streamlined 3D asset authoring and deployment, simplifying the process of creating and using 3D content for developers and end-users alike.

A Collaborative Framework for Progress

The essence of the AOUSD-Khronos liaison is rooted in a mutual desire for cooperation and synergy. Both organizations aim to align their strengths, particularly in how Khronos standards, including glTF, can support and complement AOUSD’s standards for OpenUSD, and vice versa.

This cooperative spirit is driven by a shared commitment to advancing the industry for the greater good. It's about structuring and strengthening the relationship between AOUSD and Khronos to foster closer cooperation, ensuring that their combined efforts lead to advancements in 3D technology, interoperability, and the wider 3D development and delivery ecosystems.

The liaison between Khronos and AOUSD complements the work taking place within the Metaverse Standards Forum’s ‘3D Asset Interoperability using USD and glTF’ Working Group. The Forum’s broad, diverse membership is collecting metaverse use cases for real-time USD and glTF interoperability and exploring requirements for metaverse assets in order to inform recommendations for cooperation between the two standards. And now, the liaison agreement will allow members of both Khronos and AOUSD to collaborate directly on executing these and other recommendations, facilitating transparency and efficiency in the complementary development of OpenUSD and glTF.

Vision and Objectives: Shaping the Future of 3D Tech

This liaison is not just about technologies; it's about building a community and an ecosystem where OpenUSD and glTF can thrive together. Key objectives include:

Leveraging Unique Strengths: Each technology will focus on its core competencies while benefiting from the other’s ecosystem, accelerating the adoption of 3D technologies.
Eliminating Friction Points: Reduce development and distribution costs by aligning OpenUSD and glTF technologies to make 3D content increasingly pervasive.
Encouraging Normative References: Prevent duplication of efforts by establishing normative references between the two standards, enhancing the speed and efficiency of interoperability developments.

The Impact: Transforming 3D Standards and Communities

This cooperation is an important step in the realm of 3D standards. It represents a strategic effort to reduce barriers and foster closer integration within the 3D content ecosystem, with potential benefits for both the open standards and the open source communities in terms of increased innovation and flexibility.

The leadership of both AOUSD and Khronos are enthusiastic about the potential of this collaboration. With OpenUSD's enhanced 3D authoring capabilities and glTF's strength in content delivery, we're poised to revolutionize how 3D content reaches audiences.

Neil Trevett, Vice President of Developer Ecosystems at NVIDIA and President of the Khronos Group, shared his enthusiasm for the collaboration: “This liaison with AOUSD is a landmark moment for the 3D content creation industry. By bringing together the strengths of OpenUSD and glTF, we're not only optimizing the development process but also unlocking new potential for creators and end-users worldwide. This is a true testament to the power of collaboration in driving technological advancement.”

Steve May, Chief Technology Officer at Pixar and Chairperson of AOUSD emphasized the benefits of this liaison for stakeholders at every stage of the 3D pipeline: “AOUSD and Khronos can better empower the 3D content creation industry by working together. This liaison will allow us to coordinate roadmaps, avoiding duplication of effort and needless incompatibility between OpenUSD and glTF while facilitating a powerful tooling pipeline. Artists and end users will be the true beneficiaries of this joint effort: We aim to support the creation of sophisticated 3D content that can be experienced anywhere.”

Seamless Interoperability for Tooling

For developers and end-users, the liaison promises a more integrated and user-friendly experience. The collaboration aims to streamline the combined use of both OpenUSD and glTF, increasing tooling flexibility for creators and viewing options for consumers. This evolution in 3D content creation and distribution means enhanced efficiency and broader creative possibilities as the use of 3D becomes more pervasive.

Looking Ahead

This liaison between AOUSD and Khronos is more than just an agreement. It's a commitment to a shared future: a future where 3D content creation and distribution are seamless, and where developers and end-users alike can harness the full potential of 3D and spatial computing. Stay tuned as we embark on this exciting journey together, reshaping the landscape of 3D interoperability and opening new pathways where developers and end-users alike can harness the full potential of 3D technologies.

Community at the Core: Your Role in Shaping 3D Tech

Your voice matters in this journey. Whether you're a glTF enthusiast, an OpenUSD developer, or somewhere in between, there are numerous ways to get involved. From contributing to Khronos glTF GitHub repositories to participating in the AOUSD community forums, your input is crucial in keeping this collaboration grounded and innovative.

To stay up to date on AOUSD events, check out the AOUSD event calendar.

You can learn more about OpenUSD in the explainer blog on the framework. For more resources, check out the AOUSD forum.

Follow AOUSD on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.

You can join the glTF community, ask questions and offer feedback on the glTF Slack channel, Stack Overflow, Khronos Discord and the Khronos Discussion Forum.

See upcoming Khronos events on the Khronos event page.

Follow Khronos on X, Mastodon, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Flickr.

If you’re not currently a member of AOUSD or Khronos, you can join the Metaverse Standards Forum and participate in Forum activities including the 3D Asset Interoperability Using USD and glTF Working Group.

Follow the Metaverse Standards Forum on Discord, Mastodon, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.