Hi all,

I im wondering what would be the correct PDG workflow for:

1- Create a piece of geometry like a rock (this is fine, its easy)
2- have a topnet that does wedges of it (this is fine, its easy)
3- create a usd file from this wedges in TOPs, and configure each of the variants from the resulting bits of geometry as a ‘model’ variant for that first rock in a usd
4- then, at the end, save a usd file of this with the model variants, etc.

I had a look around but I don't see any tutorials that combine usd and pdg workflows..

Any thoughts ?

I had a look around but I don't see any tutorials that combine usd and pdg workflows.

That's a good question I would like to know too.

When I got my first glimpse of Solaris I thought it could be a really useful combination (Tops with Lops).

But I only know a bit about pdg only having take a cursory glance of it when it came out.

However, I see there is a USD Import Files node for Tops networks, doc description:

Reads a USD file, and creates work items from referenced USD layer files and /or other files, such as images that are referenced as asset paths. The search can be done on the flattened stage, the individual root layer, or recursively on the root layer and all sub layers. The paths of the found files are attached as a file output.

There's also the USD Import Prims.

Looks like one would have to set up their LOP network with all the layer, sub-layer, and ‘variances’ ahead of time(within a LOP network) so one can selectively run through them in a TOP network.

It also looks like to help along the ROP USD Output node can help in the whole process too.

But it's just my guessing, certainly will keep my eyes peeled on this thread and others on the topic.

well, Im after proceduraally generating USD model variaants and not pre-setting them in any way, which is what usd import * feels like tries to do..

There has to be a clena way to `@pdg_input` the wedge results into a Lops network, and then run some sort of for-loop based on the wedge count that would automatically generate a bunch of usd variants… then save it all to a single usd file

and then run some sort of for-loop based on the wedge count that would automatically generate a bunch of usd variants

If you know usd well enough you probably can do that right now in LOPs with For Each, Inline USD and Wrangle nodes.

I was hoping to do this without any code bits

Yeah I understand, and probably eventually SideFX will create more nodes for interoperability between the contexts (LOPs/TOPs).

But USD is a different beast(like non-destructive layering, priority influencing, etc.), it's not a simple matter of targeting parameters and have a TOP network generate the variance results.

As I still don't have my head wrapped around USD enough to say more on the topic, I guess SideFX will keep an eye on recurring RFEs for specific desired workflows between the two networks and maybe introduce aids for those.

That would be nice.