makeusd

One file for 3D printing, AR preview, and parametric source.

pip install makeusd

What it does

makeusd packs your 3D designs into USDZ files that work everywhere:

• Preview in AR on iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — tap to open, no app needed
• Send to a slicer — export to 3MF for BambuStudio, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer
• Keep the source — embed your OpenSCAD or CadQuery files inside the USDZ
• Multi-color — each part gets its own PBR material with correct colors

One command. One file. Three capabilities.

Quick start

Pack STL files into a USDZ

# Two-color case: orange body, black logo
makeusd pack body.stl "#FF8C00" logo.stl "#1A1A1A" -o case.usdz

AirDrop case.usdz to your iPhone. Tap to preview in AR. Done.

Export USDZ to 3MF for printing

makeusd export case.usdz -o case.3mf

Open case.3mf in BambuStudio. Colors are preserved. Print.

Embed parametric source

# Pack STLs + embed the OpenSCAD source that generated them
makeusd pack body.stl "#FF8C00" logo.stl "#1A1A1A" \
  --source case.scad \
  --generator openscad \
  -o case.usdz

The .scad file is stored inside the USDZ (which is a ZIP). Anyone who receives the file can extract the source and rebuild.

Inspect a USDZ

makeusd inspect case.usdz

case.usdz (101 KB)
  /Case (Xform)
    /Case/Body — Mesh, 2847 faces, material: OrangePBR (#FF8C00)
    /Case/Logo — Mesh, 1204 faces, material: BlackPBR (#1A1A1A)

  Bounds: 42.0 x 26.3 x 13.1 mm
  Up axis: Z
  Embedded source: case.scad (OpenSCAD)

Commands

Why USDZ for 3D printing?

The 3D printing ecosystem is stuck on formats from the 1980s-2010s:

USDZ is the only format that lets you preview your print in AR on your phone, send it to a slicer, and keep the parametric source — all in one file.

OpenUSD is backed by Pixar, Apple, NVIDIA, Adobe, and Autodesk. The Alliance for OpenUSD ratified Core Specification 1.0 in December 2025.

As a Python library

from makeusd import pack, export, inspect

# Pack STLs into USDZ
pack(
    parts=[("body.stl", "#FF8C00"), ("logo.stl", "#1A1A1A")],
    output="case.usdz",
    source="case.scad",
    generator="openscad",
)

# Export to 3MF
export("case.usdz", "case.3mf")

# Inspect
info = inspect("case.usdz")
print(info.bounds_mm)  # (42.0, 26.3, 13.1)

Requirements

• Python 3.9+
• usd-core (Pixar's USD Python bindings)

pip install usd-core

OpenSCAD or CadQuery only needed for rebuild command.

License

MIT

Links

• OpenUSD — Universal Scene Description
• AOUSD — Alliance for OpenUSD
• openusd-mcp — MCP server for OpenUSD (also by Daslab)
• Daslab — Where AI meets the physical world