Forums Solaris and Karma usdview in macOS?

usdview in macOS?

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OdFotan
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Hi there,

How do we open this usdview app in macOS? Is it installed with Houdini?

Thanks, :- )
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mestela
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If you run the ‘houdini terminal’, you can run usdview from there.

Just tried it though, its pretty broken unfortunately right now:

  • USDView should use Storm, the fast openGL renderer as the default renderer, but that isn't supported on OSX (I hear a native metal port is being worked on)
  • It's running within a hython wrapper, but hython is overriding the default usdview menus, so it's unusable
  • Simple operations like hitting ‘f’ to frame geometry is pretty broken

In fact I think even trying to run houdini terminal is broken under catalina because of new security changes with applescript. You need to add the houdini startup script to your .bashrc:

cd '/Applications/Houdini/Houdini18.0.566/Frameworks/Houdini.framework/Versions/Current/Resources'
source ./houdini_setup
cd -

Attachments:
usdview_osx.jpg (149.3 KB)

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OdFotan
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Allright, thanks Matt,
I guess I can just as well view usd files in Houdini right now. That's still pretty fast.

I'd love to hear it if there is any update of this in the future.
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mestela
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Support got in touch and said it works better for them, can you have a go and see if you have better luck than me?
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goldleaf
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Yeah I don't expect usdview on Mac will be very usable until the Metal backend is rolled out (no ETA yet, afaik). FWIW you can quicklook usd files though, as USD is built into SceneKit on MacOS (since 2016!)

Not the same as usdview or Houdini, but for a glance at a file on Mac, it's not bad. There is also a Reality Converter, but it seems to only work with .usdz, or other 3d formats, to generate a .usdz archive.
Edited by goldleaf - Sept. 12, 2020 15:48:24
I'm o.d.d.
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OdFotan
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mestela
Support got in touch and said it works better for them, can you have a go and see if you have better luck than me?

Hm, I openened FullScene.usd from the SideFX LOPs tutorial, and the app quickly became non responsive/ and slow. I don't have the best specs as of now, but still.

Also didn't see an Windows-like, app embedded menu (I suspect you were looking for).

edit: I’m on macOS Mojave
Edited by OdFotan - Sept. 13, 2020 09:10:21
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erockachocalot
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Testing usdview on a macbook air - M2 - Sequoia 15.4.1 - houdini apprentice

using the above suggestion to load usdview in the houdini environment in a terminal:


cd '/Applications/Houdini/Houdini20.5.584/Frameworks/Houdini.framework/Versions/Current/Resources'  
source ./houdini_setup
cd -

usdview ~/Documents/USD_examples/Kitchen_set/Kitchen_set.usd


usdview launches (yay!) but unfortunately, issues with the renderer. I tried all the options available. Unfortunately none worked.

Also noting that Storm is not an option in Houdini Apprentice - only 'Houdini GL' and 'Karma'

Any advice/suggestion are appreciated!
The pixar kitchen loads fine in macos "preview" app.
Edited by erockachocalot - May 13, 2025 19:42:11
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