[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"extension:v3:en:usda":3},{"resolvedFromAlias":4,"canonicalExt":5,"ext":5,"name":6,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"updatedAt":9,"popularity":10,"summary":11,"howToOs":12,"quickAnswer":18,"answerIntro":19,"whatIs":20,"description":21,"furtherReading":22,"openInstructions":41,"commonIssues":55,"securityNotes":74,"faq":78,"aliases":91,"mimeTypes":95,"relatedExtensions":96,"breadcrumbs":142,"categoryAnchor":152,"categoryFuturePath":153,"metaDescription":154,"availableHowToOs":155,"openOnDeviceLinks":156,"cannotOpenReasons":172,"cannotOpenFixes":173,"convertOptions":174,"securityAffiliateMessaging":175,"securityAffiliates":176},false,"usda","OpenUSD (Universal Scene Description) ASCII scene file","3d","3D","2026-06-12T08:49:12.408Z",28,".usda is the human-readable (ASCII) text form of an OpenUSD/Universal Scene Description scene. You can open it in USD-capable DCC tools like Blender, Autodesk Maya, or SideFX Houdini, or view/edit it as UTF-8 text.",[13,14,15,16,17],"windows","mac","linux","ios","android","To open .USDA files on Windows, open Blender and use File > Import > Universal Scene Description (.usd/.usda/.usdc) to import the .usda file.","To open a .usda file, use a 3D app that supports OpenUSD/Universal Scene Description such as Blender, Autodesk Maya (with USD support), or Houdini Solaris. Because .usda is plain text (UTF-8), you can also open it in a text editor to inspect or edit it.",".usda is the ASCII (plain-text) encoding of an OpenUSD/Universal Scene Description layer, stored as UTF-8 text. It represents 3D scene description data (prims, properties, composition) in a human-readable form, in contrast to binary USD variants like .usd/.usdc.","Universal Scene Description (USD, also referred to as OpenUSD) is a system for describing and exchanging 3D scenes. USD commonly uses multiple file encodings and extensions, including .usda (ASCII text), .usdc/.usd (binary forms), and .usdz (a packaged format).",[23,26,29,32,35,38],{"title":24,"url":25},"Universal Scene Description — Wikipedia","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Scene_Description",{"title":27,"url":28},"USD Frequently Asked Questions — OpenUSD documentation","https://openusd.org/release/usdfaq.html",{"title":30,"url":31},"OpenUSD File Formats — Learn OpenUSD (NVIDIA)","https://docs.nvidia.com/learn-openusd/latest/stage-setting/usd-file-formats.html",{"title":33,"url":34},"USD Import options — Maya Help (Autodesk)","https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/ENU/Maya-USD/files/USD-for-Maya/USD-import-export/GUID-65E19505-E27D-4477-BD7D-7C0F2BC0D328.html",{"title":36,"url":37},"USD Basics — Houdini Solaris (SideFX Documentation)","https://www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/solaris/usd.html",{"title":39,"url":40},"Universal Scene Description — Blender Manual","https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/files/import_export/usd.html",{"windows":42,"macos":45,"linux":48,"ios":51,"android":53},[43,44],"Open Blender and use File > Import > Universal Scene Description (.usd/.usda/.usdc) to import the .usda file.","Or open Autodesk Maya (with USD support) and use the USD import workflow to load the .usda scene.",[46,47],"Open Blender and use File > Import > Universal Scene Description to import the .usda file.","Or open Autodesk Maya (with USD support) and import the .usda file via Maya’s USD import options.",[49,50],"Open Blender and import the file via File > Import > Universal Scene Description.","If you use Houdini Solaris, load the USD stage and reference/open the .usda as a USD layer.",[52],"There is no commonly documented iOS-native workflow in the provided sources; transfer the .usda to a desktop app like Blender/Maya/Houdini to open it, or view it as text if you only need to inspect it.",[54],"There is no commonly documented Android-native workflow in the provided sources; transfer the .usda to a desktop app like Blender/Maya/Houdini to open it, or view it as text if you only need to inspect it.",[56,62,68],{"title":57,"description":58,"steps":59},"File opens as plain text instead of a 3D scene",".usda is an ASCII, human-readable format, so operating systems may associate it with a text editor. A text editor will show the scene description, but it will not display the 3D scene.",[60,61],"Open the file from inside a USD-capable 3D tool (for example, Blender’s USD import, or Maya’s USD import).","If you want to keep a viewer/editor as the default, change your OS file association to that USD-capable application.",{"title":63,"description":64,"steps":65},"Missing geometry or assets after import","USD scenes often reference other layers or external assets (textures, referenced USD layers). If those referenced files are not present in the expected paths, the .usda may load but appear incomplete.",[66,67],"Make sure you received all referenced files alongside the .usda (not just the single file).","Keep the original folder structure when copying between machines, then re-import in your USD-capable app.",{"title":69,"description":70,"steps":71},"Strange characters or parse errors in a text editor","USDA encodes text as UTF-8. Opening/saving the file with a different encoding, or using tools that change line endings/encoding, can produce unreadable characters or break parsing in USD tools.",[72,73],"Open and save the file as UTF-8 in your editor.","If the file was edited manually, undo/redo changes and revalidate by re-opening it in a USD-capable application.",[75,76,77],".usda is plain text (UTF-8), but it can still trigger vulnerabilities in 3D importers/parsers; only open untrusted files in up-to-date, trusted USD-capable software.","USDA scenes may reference external files; when opening a .usda from an untrusted source, be cautious about what additional assets it tries to load from your filesystem or shared locations.","Because it is text, .usda is easy to inspect in a text editor before opening in a DCC tool; this can help spot unexpected references or suspicious content.",[79,82,85,88],{"question":80,"answer":81},"What is the difference between .usda and .usd/.usdc?",".usda is the ASCII, human-readable text form of a USD layer, while .usd and .usdc are commonly used for binary encodings. They represent the same kind of USD scene description, just stored differently.",{"question":83,"answer":84},"Can Blender open .usda files?","Yes. Blender’s USD import/export supports USD files, including .usda, via the Universal Scene Description import/export features described in the Blender manual.",{"question":86,"answer":87},"Can Autodesk Maya import .usda?","Yes. Autodesk’s Maya USD documentation lists support for importing USD formats including .usd, .usdc, and .usda.",{"question":89,"answer":90},"Is there an official IANA MIME type for .usda?","The provided IANA media types registry source is the authoritative place to check. In the provided sources, no specific IANA-registered MIME type for .usda is confirmed.",[92,93,94],"usd","usdc","usdz",[],[97,103,109,114,120,126,132,137],{"ext":98,"name":99,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":100,"summary":101,"howToOs":102},"stl","STL (Stereolithography) 3D Mesh",85,"STL is a widely used 3D model exchange format for 3D printing and rapid prototyping, storing a surface as a triangle mesh. It commonly comes in either ASCII or binary form.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":104,"name":105,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":106,"summary":107,"howToOs":108},"fbx","Autodesk FBX (Filmbox) 3D interchange format",78,".fbx is a proprietary 3D scene and asset exchange format owned by Autodesk and widely used to move models, animation, and scene data between 3D tools and game/animation pipelines.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":110,"name":111,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":106,"summary":112,"howToOs":113},"obj","Wavefront OBJ (3D geometry) file","OBJ is a widely used text-based 3D geometry format that stores vertices, texture coordinates, normals, and polygon faces. It is commonly accompanied by a separate MTL material library file for appearance settings.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":115,"name":116,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":117,"summary":118,"howToOs":119},"gltf","glTF (GL Transmission Format) 3D Asset",70,".gltf is a JSON-based 3D scene/model format (glTF 2.0) used to exchange and render 3D assets. It’s commonly opened in 3D tools like Blender, web apps via Three.js, and viewers that support glTF.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":121,"name":122,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":123,"summary":124,"howToOs":125},"glb","glTF Binary (GLB)",68,".glb is the binary form of glTF 2.0, commonly used to deliver 3D models and scenes as a single file. It’s widely supported by 3D tools and viewers that can import/export glTF.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":127,"name":128,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":129,"summary":130,"howToOs":131},"3mf","3D Manufacturing Format (3MF)",55,".3mf is the 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF), an open standard for exchanging 3D print-ready models and related data. It is commonly opened in 3D printing “slicer” software such as PrusaSlicer.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":133,"name":134,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":129,"summary":135,"howToOs":136},"blend","Blender Project File (BLEND)",".blend is Blender’s native project file that can store an entire 3D scene (objects, materials, textures references, animations, etc.) in one file. It is primarily opened and edited with Blender.",[13,14,15,16,17],{"ext":138,"name":139,"category":7,"categoryName":8,"popularity":129,"summary":140,"howToOs":141},"ply","Polygon File Format (PLY / Stanford Triangle Format)",".ply is a 3D geometry file format commonly used for polygon meshes and point clouds. It can store vertex/face data plus per-element properties, in either ASCII or binary encodings.",[13,14,15,16,17],[143,146,149],{"label":144,"to":145},"Home","/",{"label":147,"to":148},"File Extension Index","/file-extension",{"label":150,"to":151},".USDA","/file-extension/usda","category-3d","/category/3d","Learn what .USDA files are, how to open them on every platform, common fixes, and security best practices.",[13,14,15,16,17],[157,160,163,166,169],{"os":13,"label":158,"to":159},"Open .USDA on Windows","/how-to/open-usda-on-windows",{"os":14,"label":161,"to":162},"Open .USDA on Mac","/how-to/open-usda-on-mac",{"os":15,"label":164,"to":165},"Open .USDA on Linux","/how-to/open-usda-on-linux",{"os":16,"label":167,"to":168},"Open .USDA on iOS","/how-to/open-usda-on-ios",{"os":17,"label":170,"to":171},"Open .USDA on Android","/how-to/open-usda-on-android",[57,63,69],[60,61],[],"untrusted_source",[177,181],{"name":178,"description":179,"affiliateUrl":180},"Avast","Avast offers free and premium antivirus software that protects against viruses, malware, ransomware, and phishing. Scan files before opening them to ensure safety.","https://www.avast.com/lp-aff-consumer-store?expid=inf601",{"name":182,"description":183,"affiliateUrl":184},"Norton","Norton 360 delivers comprehensive antivirus protection, VPN, and identity theft monitoring. Scan files for threats before opening to keep your device secure.","http://buy.norton.com/aff_home?utm_campaign=en-ww_nor_n36_aff_nas_nau_nah_cj_nad_low:_sec_nat_mktc_norton_360"]