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Opening Files

usdtweak provides several ways to open USD files, with control over how the file is loaded.

File > Open​

Navigate to File > Open to launch the file browser dialog.

Image showing a window for loading a USD layer

The dialog provides the following options:

  • Open as stage -- When checked, the file is opened as a composed stage with all sublayers, references, and payloads resolved. The 3D viewport becomes available. When unchecked, the file opens as a raw layer.
  • Load payloads -- When opening as a stage, this controls whether payloads are loaded immediately. Unchecking this can speed up opening large scenes where you only need part of the data.
  • Enable viewport rendering -- When opening as a stage, this controls whether Hydra rendering is activated. Disabling it can be useful for very heavy scenes where you only need the outliner and property editors.

Open as layer vs. open as stage​

The choice between opening as a layer or as a stage is fundamental to how you interact with the file:

  • As a stage -- The file and all its composed dependencies are resolved into a single scene. You see the final result in the viewport and the Stage Outliner. Edits go to the current edit target layer.
  • As a layer -- Only the data in that single file is shown, without resolving any composition arcs. Useful when the composed stage causes renderer issues, or when you need to inspect/edit the raw authored data.

Learn more in Layer vs. Stage.

Recovery workflow

If a stage fails to open because of a bad reference or a Hydra crash, try opening the root layer file as a layer instead. This bypasses composition and rendering, letting you fix the problem in the Layer Hierarchy and Layer Property Editor.

Drag and drop​

Drag a USD file from your operating system's file browser and drop it into the usdtweak window. The file will be opened as a layer by default. This is a quick way to open files without navigating the file browser dialog.

Open recent​

File > Open Recent (as stage) lists recently opened files. Click any entry to reopen it as a stage.

Command line​

You can open files directly when launching usdtweak:

usdtweak path/to/file.usd

Multiple files can be passed as arguments to open several files at once.

Switching between open files​

Once you have multiple files open, use the Content Browser panel to switch between them. The Content Browser lists all open stages and layers. Click an entry to make it the active document.

You can also use the stage selector button in the menu bar (to the right of the Help menu) to switch between open stages.