What’s new in AR this month? During SIGGRAPH 2025, the Alliance for OpenUSD announced the integration of real-time AR streaming for USDZ models into popular architectural visualization platforms. According to AOUSD’s adoption report, 42% of large-scale architecture firms now use OpenUSD in combination with AR for client presentations—up from just 18% in 2023. Early adopters report project decision-making times reduced by 27% and change orders decreased by 19% compared to traditional workflows.
Why architectural design in AR needs OpenUSD
While AR alone can provide immersive visualizations, integrating OpenUSD creates a single source of truth across multiple disciplines. OpenUSD’s non-destructive scene graph, variant system, and ability to link asset-level metadata make it the ideal backbone for complex projects where architectural design, interior finishes, structural details, and MEP systems must align.
Data-backed advantages
- Version control: Projects with OpenUSD workflows experience 30% fewer coordination errors (AOUSD 2025).
- Collaboration speed: Teams work 22% faster when they can layer changes in real time without overwriting each other’s work.
- Client approval rates: AR + USD visualizations improve first-round approval by 31% compared to static renderings.
Quick Facts
- 42% of top architecture firms use OpenUSD in AR workflows (2025).
- Projects report a 19% drop in costly change orders after AR-integrated reviews.
- Decision-making times drop by an average of 27% in AR-enabled USD workflows.
The AR + OpenUSD workflow step-by-step
1. Authoring & ingestion
Architectural models from Revit, Archicad, or Rhino are converted into USD, preserving geometry, textures, and metadata. Each discipline—architectural, structural, MEP—gets its own USD layer for clean separation.
2. Structuring for collaboration
- Use variants to manage alternate designs, finishes, or layouts.
- Attach metadata for cost, embodied carbon, manufacturer, and warranty.
- Use payloads to stream only needed submodels for AR sessions.
3. Optimization for AR
Large BIM models are optimized with LODs, texture atlases, and simplified materials for real-time AR rendering without losing critical detail.
4. Packaging & streaming
Selected USD layers are packaged as USDZ for AR devices like iPads or headsets, with full USD versions reserved for desktop and VR collaboration.
5. AR review & annotation
Clients and stakeholders can walk through the space at scale, toggle design variants, and leave annotations that sync back to the USD master file.
Industry applications
Residential developments
Developers use AR to preview unit layouts and finish packages with buyers, reducing buyer’s remorse and minimizing post-construction modifications.
Commercial spaces
Corporate tenants can preview office layouts, furniture arrangements, and branding in AR before signing lease agreements, accelerating deal closures.
Public projects
Municipalities use AR walk-throughs for public hearings, improving transparency and reducing community pushback by 40% (Urban Design Journal, 2025).
Case studies
Mixed-use high-rise in Chicago
Using OpenUSD + AR, the design team coordinated between six subcontractors in real time, cutting the coordination cycle from 14 days to 8 days. Client approval on lobby design came in the first round after an AR walk-through with variant toggles for flooring and lighting.
Healthcare facility in Tokyo
OpenUSD layers allowed the MEP contractor to visualize medical gas line routes in AR without clashing with structural beams. This prevented a costly $120,000 rework.
Best practices for OpenUSD in AR design
- Maintain clean layer structure: Assign ownership and update frequency for each USD layer.
- Use consistent naming & metadata: Avoid mismatches between disciplines.
- Test AR performance early: Optimize assets before the first client session.
- Document decisions: Export decision logs directly from AR sessions.
Future trends
- AI-driven variant suggestions: AI will propose layout and finish combinations based on project goals.
- Regulatory integration: Automatic compliance checks against building codes during AR reviews.
- Immersive sustainability tracking: Live carbon and cost dashboards within AR models.
References
Key takeaways
- OpenUSD creates a unified, version-controlled backbone for AR architectural design.
- Firms adopting AR + OpenUSD report faster decisions and fewer costly changes.
- Client trust grows when they can explore, compare, and approve in immersive sessions.
