NVIDIA unveils OpenUSD advancements with extensive impacts

NVIDIA has announced significant advancements related to Universal Scene Description, commonly known as OpenUSD. These developments aim to expand the use of this 3D data interchange framework to new sectors such as robotics, industrial design, and engineering, thereby facilitating the creation of highly detailed virtual worlds that will benefit the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

New generative AI models and NVIDIA NIM microservices will now be available through the NVIDIA Omniverse platform. This technological expansion enables various industries to develop applications focused on visualising industrial projects and simulating environments, crucial for creating the next wave of physical AI and robots. The suite of new services includes AI models that generate OpenUSD language to answer user queries, generate Python code, apply materials to 3D objects, and understand 3D space and physics to accelerate the development of digital twins.

Rev Lebaredian, Vice President of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, commented, “The generative AI boom for heavy industries is here. Until recently, digital worlds have been primarily used by creative industries; now, with the enhancements and accessibility NVIDIA NIM microservices are bringing to OpenUSD, industries of all kinds can build physically based virtual worlds and digital twins to drive innovation while preparing for the next wave of AI: robotics.”

NVIDIA has introduced several microservices that will be available in preview. These include the USD Code NIM microservice, which answers general OpenUSD questions and generates OpenUSD-Python code from text prompts; the USD Search NIM microservice, enabling searches through extensive libraries of OpenUSD and 3D data; and the USD Validate NIM microservice, which checks file compatibility against OpenUSD versions and generates RTX-rendered images. Future releases will include the USD Layout NIM microservice, USD SmartMaterial NIM microservice, and fVDB Mesh Generation NIM microservice, among others.

Foxconn, a significant player in global manufacturing with over 170 factories worldwide, is already leveraging NVIDIA's computing platform. Zhe Shi, Foxconn's Chief Digital Officer, explained, “Digital twins will help us accelerate the next wave of industrial manufacturing and autonomous machines. NVIDIA Omniverse and the new NIM microservices will democratise the ability to develop digital twins and help our teams build physically based virtual factories faster than ever.”

WPP, a leading entity in marketing and communication services, is an early adopter of NVIDIA’s technology. Stephan Pretorius, WPP's Chief Technology Officer, noted, “The beauty of the innovation is how compatible it is with the way we work, and that it leverages open standards, accelerating not only future work but also allowing us to continue to build on and extend the usefulness of all our previous investments in standards like OpenUSD.”

In addition to these new offerings, NVIDIA announced a series of new USD connectors suitable for robotic data formats and streaming massive datasets to Apple Vision Pro. This initiative is set to open new opportunities for OpenUSD interoperability. Nvidia has also strengthened its collaboration with Siemens to integrate OpenUSD pipelines with Siemens’ Simcenter portfolio of simulation technologies, thereby facilitating evidence-based decision-making and improved stakeholder collaboration. This integration aims to provide high-fidelity, real-time visualisation of complex simulation data, enhancing insights into a product’s performance within its real-world operating environment.

Steve May, Pixar's Chief Technology Officer and Chairman of the Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD), remarked, “OpenUSD is revolutionising the way we create and interact with 3D content. Now, with these new services and APIs for OpenUSD built by NVIDIA, we expect to see accelerated growth and adoption of USD, paving the way for new users and industries to engage more easily with our ecosystem.”

The recently announced USD microservices, as well as the USD connectors, further NVIDIA's ongoing efforts to enhance the utility of OpenUSD across different industries, preparing for a future where digital twins and highly accurate virtual simulations become the norm.