The Complete USD to Navisworks Conversion Guide

This guide is part of the RapidPipeline 3D Formats Knowledge Database. It shows how to convert USD to Navisworks, if you'd like to know more about the formats, please check out the following links:

• Learn more about the USD format
• Learn more about the Navisworks format

There are various ways to convert between USD and Navisworks. With RapidPipeline, you can easily convert and and optimize USD files, at scale. It supports Navisworks, as well as many other file formats (examples: 3dsMax, AutoCAD, CATIA, Creo, FBX, glTF, Inventor, OBJ, PLY, Revit, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, STEP, STL, USDZ, VRM), at high quality.

Below you can find a video explaining how to convert your files:

The USD file is a format mostly used for 3D modeling and rendering applications, and exchange of 3D authoring data.
The Navisworks file is a format mostly used for 3D design review and project coordination software for BIM model visualization, clash detection, and construction planning.

The following limitations should be taken into account when converting USD files to Navisworks format:

USD Feature (not supported by Navisworks)	Limitation Details
Procedural Textures	Procedural Textures: supported in USD, but not in Navisworks. Procedural texture allow the modeling of surface details through mathematical functions, along with artistic control over various parameters. Typically, they are used for patterns like wood grain or other semi-regular structures. Since they are not using any pixels as source data, procedural textures have, in principle, infinite resolution and are very lightweight to describe. In this example, a procedural texture is used to model the look of a wooden material. Without support for this feature, in this case, the wooden parts won't show any visible details.
Skinned Animations	Skinned Animations: supported in USD, but not in Navisworks. Skinned animations are commonly used for 3D character models in interactive applications, such as games or virtual worlds. They make it possible to easily animate the 3D model using a helper structure based on virtual bones, composing a virtual skeleton for animation control. In this example, a skinned animation is used to pose a 3D character. Without support for skinned animations, the 3D model will remain in its default pose, such as the default T-pose.
Morph Targets	Morph Targets: supported in USD, but not in Navisworks. Morph Targets, or "Blend Shapes", are commonly used to animate facial expressions and soft surfaces, for example cloth under a cloth simulation. They model various states of the animations with different vertex positions. In contrast to skinned animations, morph targets do not use any virtual bones, but work solely on the vertex data. In this example, a facial animation is achieved through morph targets. Without suport for this feature, in this example, the face will not show the animation.
Standardized Format	Standardized Format: supported in USD, but not in Navisworks. Standardization plays a huge role in 3D model formats. With a format being standardized, every application will have a clear way of how to load or store data using this format. This makes it easier to re-use the 3D model across different applications, but also to make sure it will still be accessible and usable after a couple of years.

Doing 3D conversion right, especially at scale, can be tricky, as 3D data is in general a rather complex (yet very powerful!) medium. This also applies to USD and Navisworks files - the conversion guide above provides a rough first idea about that. Once you know what you would like to do, tools like RapidPipeline can help you perform the necessary steps, and to even automate the process for thousands or even millions of files.

Especially when introducing pipelines and workflows at scale in an enterprise context, it is usually good to rely on dedicated tools and expertise, making sure you do not introduce any steps into your 3D workflow that are detrimental to the final output's quality, or that take your team too much time (and money).

If you're interested to hire dedicated expertise from the best in the field to help your company reach your goals fast and reliably, please do not hestitate to contact DGG. Being the creators of RapidPipeline, and ambassadors for open 3D standards for more than a decade, we have been building some of the world's most advanced 3D pipelines, having processed many millions of 3D assets.

Therefore, our expertise will help you to reach your goals faster, at scale, and with the least possible friction, since we are focused on maximum interoperability.

To get started with 3D data conversion and optimization today, sign up for a free account!

If you have any questions, feel free to chat with our human team.