The quest for true interoperability in complex architectural and construction projects has found a very useful tool in the file format known as Universal Scene Description (USD), now popularised under the open standard OpenUSD. This is a file format originally created by Pixar Animation Studios to coordinate film productions with massive data requirements, which platforms such as NVIDIA Omniverse subsequently adapted for the industrial sector. In architecture and construction, as mentioned, OpenUSD has made a strong impact on the design and management of digital twins.
Unlike traditional formats, OpenUSD is not simply a 3D file, but an ecosystem for real-time scene composition. These are its fundamentals:
–Non-destructive layered architecture (Layering): each discipline (architecture, structures, MEP) works on independent data layers (sublayers). Modifications are recorded as overrides without altering or corrupting the base models of other teams.
-Optimised mass performance for smoothly rendering millions of polygons. This enables immersive inspection and interactive processing without slowing down systems.
–Software agnosticism: native connectors allow updates made in different tools to be communicated in real time via continuous direct transmission, without relying on a single software programme.
Far from replacing buildingSMART’s IFC (Industry Fundamentals Classes) standard, OpenUSD complements it. With the IFC OpenBIM standard, we have a semantic definition, taxonomy, construction data and deliverables, as well as the static exchange of federated models at key stages. Furthermore, within the OpenUSD framework, 3D composition takes place in real time, with graphical simulation and mass collaboration, and a dynamic data flow during design and operation.
During the operation and maintenance phases, OpenUSD becomes the ideal infrastructure for digital twins. By integrating high-fidelity geometry with IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and real-time physical or energy simulations, it transforms BIM (Building Information Modelling) models into live, predictive environments.
In short, OpenUSD marks the definitive convergence of entertainment technologies, industrial simulation, architecture and construction within the workflow. To put it another way, the adoption of this standard within the BIM methodology signals the beginning of the end for cumbersome and incompatible data exports.
By David González Molina, BIM Manager in the Architecture Department at Amusement Logic
