Introduction to OpenUSD 2025

Learn the fundamentals of OpenUSD to build production-ready assets.

In this live/online course*, we’ll explore all things OpenUSD. We’ll do this by creating a photoreal environment and then creating a series of varaints, allowing us to have a multitude of variants for use in shot work.

For those that cannot make the live/online sessions, they will be recorded and uploaded to the CAVE platform, so you’ll be able to work through the teaching at your own pace.

Throughout the course, we’ll explore the built-in tools in Maya for a USD workflow, and discuss how we can go about approaching an asset for maximum flexibility. This includes variants, version control and general asset publishing.

*Please note that the lesson plan is subject to minor change.

Course Details

Type: Online
Level: Beginner
Format: Online Zoom meetings
Term 2: Summer
Schedule: 19th May 2025 - 25th July 2025
Workshop Session: 3hrs. Date TBC
Feedback Session: 2hrs. Date TBC
Tools: Maya, Nuke, Houdini
Prerequisites: Introduction to Maya 1001
Course Access Time: Lifetime

Industry partners

Lessons in this course

Week 01. Overview of USD

We’ll be kicking off the course off with a breakdown of what USD is and how it came about.
Available on: 2025.05.19 9:00 am
Week 02. USD Basics in Maya

In this lesson, we'll explore how USD has been integrated into Maya.
Available on: 2025.05.26 9:00 am
Week 03. Maya Data v USD Data

Here we will compare Maya and USD data.
Available on: 2025.06.02 9:00 am
Week 04. Modelling a Digital Set

In this lesson, we'll give you an overview of the onset data captured for the modelling aspect of this course.
Available on: 2025.06.09 9:00 am
Week 05. Basic Shader Creation and Assignment

With our environment created, we'll now look at applying some basic shaders to get a clearer idea of how things will look in render.
Available on: 2025.06.16 9:00 am
Week 06. Scene Structure, Layers and Asset Variants

With our environment good to go, we'll explore how we can set it up as a USD asset for maximum flexibility.
Available on: 2025.06.23 9:00 am
Week 07. USD Layer Editor and Bifrost

In this lesson, we'll use the USD Layer Editor and Bifrost to handle our variants.
Available on: 2025.06.30 9:00 am
Week 08. Dealing with Asset Updates

Here we will explore how to go about dealing with asset updates.
Available on: 2025.07.07 9:00 am
Week 09. Hydra and Arnold Support

With our variants ready to go, we'll explore how we can visualise the data using Hydra and Arnold.
Available on: 2025.07.14 9:00 am
Week 10. Testing our USD in other Applications

For our final lesson, we'll test our USD asset in other applications.
Available on: 2025.07.21 9:00 am

Course Information

Course Type: Live, Online Zoom meetings
Schedule: 19th May 2025 - 25th July 2025
Workshop Session: 3hrs. Date TBC.
Feedback Session: 2hrs. Date TBC.

Tutor: Jahirul Amin

CAVE Academy Founder | VFX Teacher

Jahirul Amin is a Computer Animation and Visual Effects Teacher and Consultant. He specialises in designing and delivering courses to create solid and diverse production ready skills in all 3D related departments and across a number of facilities worldwide. His background in academia feeds into his ongoing connections with Universities and Colleges which provide Computer Animation and Visual Effects courses. He is also involved in course and examination design as well as lecturing, running workshops and mentoring.

Live and Online

Course Fee: FREE (thanks to Autodesk)

Enrol on Course

Introduction to OpenUSD 2025

In partnership with Autodesk, this FREE course will teach you the fundamentals of OpenUSD through practical exercises, in which we will create an interior photoreal environment suitable for VFX.