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Text Editor

usdtweak includes a built-in text editor that displays the current layer's contents in USDA (USD ASCII) format. This is useful for quick inspections, debugging, and making edits that are easier to express as text.

Enabling the text editor​

The text editor is not shown by default. To open it:

  1. Go to Windows > Layer text editor in the menu bar.
  2. The text editor panel will appear, showing the contents of the current layer.

Viewing layer data​

When a layer is selected (either directly or as part of an open stage), the text editor displays its full USDA representation. This includes:

  • Prim definitions and their specifiers (def, over, class)
  • Property values and defaults
  • Metadata (kind, purpose, documentation, custom data)
  • Composition arcs (references, payloads, sublayers, inherits, specializes, variants)
  • Time-sampled values

This provides a complete view of what is authored in the layer, using the standard USDA syntax.

Editing data​

You can directly edit the text in the editor. Changes made in the text editor modify the underlying layer data.

Performance

The text editor is best suited for small to medium-sized layers. Very large layers may cause performance issues when rendering the full text content.

When to use the text editor​

The text editor is particularly useful for:

  • Debugging -- Quickly inspect the raw authored data to understand composition issues or unexpected property values.
  • Quick fixes -- Making small corrections (typos in paths, adjusting a single value) can be faster in text than navigating through the UI panels.
  • Learning USD -- Seeing the USDA representation of changes you make through the UI helps build understanding of the USD format.
  • Copying snippets -- Select and copy portions of the USDA text for use in scripts, documentation, or other files.