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Alliance for OpenUSD

Our Mission

To foster the standardization, development, evolution, and growth of OpenUSD.

The Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) is an open, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the interoperability of 3D content through OpenUSD (Universal Scene Description). Standardizing the 3D ecosystem will enable developers and content creators to describe, compose, and simulate large-scale 3D projects and build an ever-widening range of 3D-enabled products and services. Part of the Joint Development Foundation, the Alliance brings together a diverse and inclusive community of participants to provide an open forum for collaborative development and discussion around OpenUSD.

Core Initiatives

Standardization

A foundational goal is to provide a written specification for OpenUSD core functionality. This not only allows for the development of diverse and compatible OpenUSD implementations, but also enables other standards to reference OpenUSD in support of their technology initiatives.

Evolution

AOUSD serves as a key focal point for the coordinated development of new OpenUSD functionality by our members. We’re also committed to pursuing collaborative relationships with other organizations and standards bodies in the 3D ecosystem.

Development

For new functionality where a reference implementation doesn’t already exist in the Pixar OpenUSD repository, AOUSD will provide a repository to house reference implementations. As the definition of essential OpenUSD functionality expands over time, new implementations can be added.

Growth

AOUSD is committed to offering new opportunities for the OpenUSD community of contributors, developers, and users. At the same time, we’ll work to remove friction and barriers for adoption across a wider array of use cases and implementations.

OpenUSD for 3D Interoperability

OpenUSD is far more than just a file format. It’s a comprehensive technology, platform, and ecosystem built to empower 3D creativity and visualization at cinematic scales.

Extensible Framework and Ecosystem for 3D Scenes

OpenUSD is a high-performance extensible framework and ecosystem for describing, composing, simulating, and collaboratively navigating and constructing 3D scenes.

Nvidia

Optimized for Large-Scale 3D Production Pipelines

Created by Pixar Animation Studios, OpenUSD is now being embraced by industries beyond the film industry, including architecture, engineering, construction, automotive, and manufacturing.

Describe, Compose, Simulate, and Collaborate on 3D Projects

OpenUSD gives developers and content creators the unique ability to broaden interoperability across content tools, data types, workflows, and platforms.

Nvidia

Events

March 2026
NVIDIA GTC 2026

March 16, 2026 - March 19, 2026

GTC 2026 will take place from March 16–19, 2026 in San Jose, California and online. From physical AI and AI factories to agentic AI and inference, GTC 2026 will showcase...

News & Resources

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In Blog

AOUSD Year in Review: A Landmark Year for OpenUSD Standardization and Growth in 2025

By Steve May, CTO of Pixar Animation Studios and chairperson of the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) In 2025, the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) achieved a defining milestone: the ratification of Core Specification 1.0—the universal language for building 3D worlds. This landmark accomplishment, combined with rapid membership growth, expanded working group achievements, and deepened industry collaboration, marks 2025 as a transformative year for OpenUSD as the open standard for 3D content creation and interoperability. From standardization breakthroughs to strategic partnerships, we have strengthened the foundation for OpenUSD to serve as a unifying framework across industries from media and entertainment to manufacturing,…

Founding Members

Membership

As an AOUSD General Member, you’ll have a seat at the table during discussion and development of new features to the OpenUSD specification. Through a structured and collaborative process, you’ll help shape the future features and directions of the OpenUSD technology stack and define the structure of the core functionality for how 3D worlds will be described and interacted with going forward.

Become A Member

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Alliance for OpenUSD?

The Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) is an open, non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the standardization, development, evolution, and growth of OpenUSD (Universal Scene Description) to promote interoperability of 3D content. Part of the Joint Development Foundation, the Alliance provides an open forum for collaborative development and discussion around OpenUSD, bringing together a diverse and inclusive community of participants.

For more information about becoming an AOUSD member, click here, and for the AOUSD Working Group Processes, click here.

Who is governing the Alliance for OpenUSD?

The Alliance for OpenUSD steering committee will comprise technical, business, and community leaders committed to driving the open standards technology, including one from each of the Founding Member companies and elected representatives of the general membership. Each of the Founding Member companies–Pixar, Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, and NVIDIA–has been and continues to be large contributors to and evangelists of OpenUSD.

Steve May, CTO of Pixar Animation Studios, is the initial Chairperson for the Alliance, selected by the steering committee.

How much does the Alliance for OpenUSD membership cost?

Members of AOUSD must also be members of Linux Foundation. General Members pay an annual fee of $10,000 USD.

Membership fees are used to support collaborative infrastructure, program management, specification editing services, marketing, and PR, and in the future, compliance and certification testing efforts. General membership is now open. Become a member.

How can I get involved with the Alliance for OpenUSD?

Parties interested in taking an active role in the Alliance for OpenUSD’s missions may join as a General Member to participate in Working Groups, or as a Contributor to participate in Interest Groups. Learn more about our membership.

AOUSD has a strong ecosystem partnerships with standards organizations and open source consortiums working in the OpenUSD and 3D worlds ecosystem. If you are interested in working with AOUSD, request to collaborate.

Keep up to date with the Alliance for OpenUSD by opting in for email communications.

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