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

Command	Description
makeusd pack	Combine STL files + colors into a multi-material USDZ
makeusd export	Export USDZ meshes to 3MF or STL for printing
makeusd inspect	Show scene graph, materials, bounds, embedded files
makeusd rebuild	Extract embedded source, run generator, repack (requires OpenSCAD/CadQuery)

Why USDZ for 3D printing?

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

Format	Year	Colors	Materials	AR Preview	Source	Hierarchy
STL	1987	No	No	No	No	No
OBJ	1992	Via MTL	Basic	No	No	No
3MF	2015	Yes	Basic	No	No	Yes
USDZ	2018	Yes	Full PBR	Native iOS/visionOS	Embeddable	Yes

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