Curated resources around open 3D spaces: OpenUSD, glTF, formats, tools, engines, samples, and interoperability. Pull requests welcome.
- Awesome OpenSphere
One-stop entry points for the most used open and de facto 3D formats.
- Alliance for OpenUSD (AOUSD) - Wikipedia - Background and members.
- FBX - Autodesk Overview - Widely used interchange format.
- glTF - Khronos - Runtime-friendly 3D asset format.
- OpenUSD - Linux Foundation - Official OpenUSD site.
- USDZ for ARKit - Apple Developer - Packaged USD for iOS AR.
- Universal Scene Description (USD) - Pixar GitHub - Reference repository.
Reference docs and primers that explain concepts and build steps.
- USD build and conversions - Compilation and format tips.
- USD FAQ - Frequently asked questions.
- USD on Wikipedia - Overview and history.
- Omniverse USD guide - Introductory concepts.
Well-maintained community lists that complement this one.
- matiascodesal/awesome-openusd - OpenUSD resources and learning.
- boredengineering/awesome-openusd-course - Course-style materials.
- darkvertex/awesome-usd - Tools, articles, workflows.
- Herizoran/awesome-usd - Another USD-focused curation.
- horzelski/awesome-usd - Assorted USD links.
- WokaCentral/awesome-woka - An independent awesome collection about virtual 2D/3D collabspaces & -verses like workadventure & more.
Authoring, inspection, conversion, and CLI helpers for day-to-day workflows.
- Blender USD Import and Export - Official USD integration.
- Gaffer - Node-based VFX platform with USD support.
- Hydra Render Delegates - Arnold, ProRender, Cycles, Storm.
- USD CLI Tools - usdchecker, usdcat, usdls.
- usdview - Interactive USD scene viewer.
Production-like scenes and test assets for pipelines and demos.
- Apple AR Quick Look samples - USDZ objects for AR.
- GitHub search: usd sample scene - Community collections.
- NVIDIA Omniverse samples - Sample content in the launcher.
- OpenUSD downloads and videos - Demos and assets.
- Pixar sample sets - Kitchen, Sofa, Bar, and more.
DCCs and engines that speak USD or integrate OpenSphere formats well.
- Autodesk Maya USD Plugin - USD workflows in Maya.
- Cinema 4D USD I/O - Import and export.
- Houdini Solaris - USD-native layout and lighting.
- Unity USD SDK - USD in Unity.
- Unreal Engine USD - UE USD pipeline.
Standards bodies, forums, and overviews on making 3D assets portable.
- arXiv overview - Survey of metaverse standards.
- Khronos BoF on USD and glTF - Interop state of the art.
- Metaverse Standards Forum - Coordination forum.
- Open Metaverse Interoperability - Community and working groups.
HDRIs, panoramic imagery, and skyboxes for lighting and scene context.
- Google Street View Static API - Programmatic panoramas.
- KartaView - Community street-level imagery.
- Poly Haven HDRIs - CC0 HDRI library.
- Poly Haven - Free HDRIs, PBR textures, and assets.
Major platforms that bundle tools, services, and content around open 3D.
Ecosystem for collaborative 3D workflows with strong USD focus.
- Omniverse overview - Use cases and downloads.
- Omniverse blog - Updates and integrations.
- Design Collaboration news - Enterprise features.
Virtual collaboration platform with education and enterprise use cases.
- Website - Product overview.
- Features - Capabilities and formats.
- Docs - User and developer documentation.
- Voice-first creation - Generative workflows.
- XRpedagogy profile - Pedagogical use.
- Virtual Worlds Museum - Curated examples.
- Case study: meetings - Real-world adoption.
This section highlights open tools, standards and resources for geospatial data and 3D city models, providing the geographic context essential for 3D spaces, BIM and digital twins.
- QGIS – leading open source GIS platform
- PostGIS – spatial extension for PostgreSQL
- GeoServer – OGC-compliant server for geodata
- MapServer – alternative open source mapping engine
- CityGML (OGC Standard) – 3D city model standard
- GeoPackage – modern SQLite-based GIS format
- OGC Standards: WMS / WFS / WCS – web services for maps and features
- GeoJSON – lightweight geodata format for the web
- CesiumJS – WebGL globe for 3D GIS visualization
- deck.gl – high-performance WebGL framework for geospatial visualization
- Kepler.gl – visual geodata exploration by Uber
- Google Street View – proprietary global street-level imagery
- Mapillary – crowd-sourced street imagery (Meta)
- KartaView – open-source street imagery, OSM friendly
- Bing Streetside – Microsoft’s street-level service
- Apple Look Around – Apple’s street imagery system
- HERE Street Level Imagery – commercial provider
- OpenStreetMap Wiki – Street-level imagery – community overview of open sources
Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operations
BIM = Building Information Modell
- IFC – Industry Foundation Classes (ISO 16739)
- BCF – BIM Collaboration Format
- IDS – Information Delivery Specification
- bSDD - buildingSMART Data Dictionary
- BlenderBIM Add-on – IFC Authoring/Editing in Blender
- IfcOpenShell – Core library for IFC in C++/Python
- FreeCAD Arch Workbench – Parametric BIM modeling
- BIMserver – IFC model server
- Speckle – Open source data hub for AEC (multi-format streams)
- xBIM Toolkit – .NET IFC toolkit
- Open Infra Platform (OIP) – IFC for infrastructure
- Rhino 3D – Widely used in AEC for complex geometry
- Grasshopper – Visual programming for parametric design
- Ladybug Tools – Environmental simulation suite
- Hypar – generative building design platform
- Snaptrude – cloud-based design + BIM
- Arcol – web-based BIM (next-gen Revit competitor)
- Finch 3D – parametric space planning
- Giraffe – urban design platform
- Motif – generative layouts
- spacio.ai – AI for interior layouts
- Qonic – BIM 2.0 initiative by Bricsys founders
Corrections to Link-Problems found by Lychee