Update This page used to explain all the font / icons / etc of usdview. But this page is unnecessary because usdview already has a way to show what everything means.
To find out what a specific color or icon means, simply press the "?" button in the lower-left corner of the widgets in usdview.
After the "?", usdview will expand to show a legend which explains everything.
Prefer everything shown in usdview over anything you see here.
Have you ever wondered what all the text colors, fonts, and icons in usdview mean? The different combinations of data can be pretty complex. This page will explain usdview's visuals, and how the USD API is used to achieve them.
This page contains everything you need to know.
usdview has lots rules for how its prim / property information is
displayed. To help make sense of it all, This usdview_style_stage.usda
file contains a simple stage for every single
color / font / icon that usdview uses.
That stage can be used as a reference while viewing the rest of this page.
usdview usdview_style_stage.usda| Name | Description | Value | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Neither an instance or a master | rgb(227, 227, 227) | /SomePrim |
 |
An instanced Prim | rgb(135, 206, 250) | /InstancedItem |
 |
A Prim which is used by instances | rgb(118, 136, 217) | /__Master_1 |
 |
A Prim that contains 1+ Composition Arc | rgb(222, 158, 46) | /Inherited |
| Name | Style | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract | Normal | A class Prim. Enable "Show" > "Abstract Prims (Classes)" | /SomeClass |
| Defined | Bold | A normal Prim that will be in default traversals | /SomePrim |
over Prim |
Italics | An undefined Prim (an Orphaned Over). Enable "Show" > "Undefined Prims (Overs)" | /OrphanedOver |
| Name | Description | Value | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
The property's default (non-time-sampled) value | rgb(135, 206, 250) | /SomePrim.default_property |
 |
The value comes from an authored time value | rgb(177, 207, 153) | /SomePrim.time_samples_property |
 |
No value was found so USD used the Prim's type as a fallback | rgb(222, 158, 46) | /SomePrim.visibility |
 |
The value resolved to a stitched clip layer | rgb(230, 150, 230) | /PrimWithValueClips.inManifestAndInClip |
 |
No value could be found | rgb(140, 140, 140) | /SomePrim.xformOpOrder |
In usdview, the "Type" Column can contain an icon and/or
text. Most of the time, you'll only see an icon like
,
, or
. But sometimes,
you'll see text, too.
If a Property is inherited, there's literally an "(i)" written in the
Type column. For example, /Parent/Child.primvars:foo.
It's important to note that when we say "inherited" with Properties, that isn't referring to the "inherits" Composition Arc. In USD, certain properties from ancestral Prims cascade down to their children.
e.g.
- All primvars
- model:drawMode
- skel:skeleton
- material collection bindings
This "Property inheritance" is how USD adds different values onto instanced Prims without breaking their instancing.
Property fonts are always the same unless the Property is inherited from an ancestor Prim. If that happens, the Property is written in Italics and slightly smaller than usual. See Property Type Column for details.
Example property: /Parent/Child.primvars:foo
| Icon | Explanation | Location |
|---|---|---|
|
A Plain Attribute. Nothing Special | /SomePrim.purpose |
 |
A "terminal" Property that connects to a "port" Property | /card/boardMat.outputs:surface |
|
A resolved value that was created in a Session Layer. For example: Missing Bounding box information | /SomePrim.World Bounding Box |
 |
A "port" Property that a "terminal" Property connects into | /card/boardMat.outputs:surface |
|
A Relationship that has no targets | /SomePrim.relationship_with_no_targets |
 |
A Relationship that has 1-or-more targets | /SomePrim.relationship_with_targets |
 |
A Relationship's destination Prim or Property Target | /SomePrim.relationship_with_targets |