What is USDZ?

USD (Universal Scene Description) was developed by Pixar to let large teams work on the same complex scenes. USDZ packs a USD scene and its textures into one uncompressed zip archive, which is the format Apple chose for augmented reality.

Where USDZ is used

• AR Quick Look: tap a USDZ link in Safari, Messages or Mail on an iPhone and the object appears in your room.
• Apple Vision Pro and Reality Composer projects.
• Increasingly in film and VFX pipelines that are built on USD.

Making a USDZ

Apple's Reality Converter turns GLB, OBJ and FBX into USDZ on a Mac. Blender can export USD, and some AI engines, including the AI reconstruction engine here, return USDZ alongside GLB when the provider supplies it.

USDZ or GLB?

You usually need both: GLB for Android and the web, and USDZ for Apple devices. See AR and VR formats for the full picture.