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Building from Source

If pre-built releases are not available for your platform or you want the latest development version, you can compile usdtweak from source.

Requirements​

  • CMake version 3.14 or newer
  • A C++14 compiler (C++17 for USD 23.11+): MSVC 2019/2022, GCC, or Clang
  • A build of OpenUSD version 20.11 or newer

CMake needs one required variable:

  • pxr_DIR -- Path to the USD installation directory containing pxrConfig.cmake

GLFW is fetched and built automatically by CMake. If you already have a GLFW installation, you can point CMake to it with glfw3_DIR (see Using your own GLFW below).

Windows (automated build script)​

The repository includes a PowerShell script that automates the entire build process, including downloading a compatible USD build:

git clone https://github.com/cpichard/usdtweak
cd usdtweak
git checkout develop
.\windows-build.ps1

Prerequisites for the script:

  • Git
  • CMake 3.14+
  • Visual Studio 2022 with the C++ desktop development workload
  • Approximately 3 GB of free disk space

The script will download USD 25.08, configure, and build usdtweak automatically.

Windows (manual build)​

Open the x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for your Visual Studio version, then:

git clone https://github.com/cpichard/usdtweak
cd usdtweak
git checkout develop
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 -Dpxr_DIR=C:\path\to\usd-25.08 ..
cmake --build . --config RelWithDebInfo

Installing on Windows​

After building, you can install usdtweak and its dependencies to a target directory:

cmake --install . --prefix <install_directory> --config RelWithDebInfo

Creating a Windows installer​

An experimental NSIS-based installer can be generated with CPack. Make sure NSIS is installed and on your PATH, then run:

cmake --build . --target package --config RelWithDebInfo

macOS (with pixi)​

On macOS (Apple Silicon), the recommended approach uses pixi which handles USD and all dependencies via conda-forge:

git clone https://github.com/cpichard/usdtweak
cd usdtweak
git checkout develop
pixi run install
pixi run ut

The pixi.toml in the repository configures the build with:

  • OpenUSD from conda-forge
  • CMake and Ninja as build tools
  • GLFW from conda-forge

This builds and launches usdtweak in a single step.

macOS (manual build)​

git clone https://github.com/cpichard/usdtweak
cd usdtweak
git checkout develop
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -Dpxr_DIR=/path/to/usd-install ..
make
macOS viewport support

On macOS versions that do not support OpenGL 4.x, the 3D viewport will not be available. All layer editing panels continue to work normally.

Linux​

git clone https://github.com/cpichard/usdtweak
cd usdtweak
git checkout develop
mkdir build
cd build
cmake -Dpxr_DIR=/path/to/usd-install ..
make

Compiling with your own GLFW​

By default, CMake downloads and builds GLFW 3.4 automatically. To use an existing GLFW installation instead, pass the glfw3_DIR variable pointing to the directory containing glfw3Config.cmake:

cmake -Dpxr_DIR=/path/to/usd -Dglfw3_DIR=/path/to/glfw3/lib/cmake/glfw3 ..

Troubleshooting​

  • pxrConfig.cmake not found -- Double-check that pxr_DIR points to the root of your USD installation (the directory that contains pxrConfig.cmake).
  • Compiler version mismatch -- USD and usdtweak must be built with compatible compiler versions and C++ standards. If USD was built with C++17, use the same standard for usdtweak.
  • Missing OpenGL -- Ensure OpenGL development headers are installed. On Linux, install libgl1-mesa-dev or your distribution's equivalent package.