Apple publishes the Reality Converter app for viewing and editing USDZ 3D objects on Mac

The application is compatible with a wide range of formats, such as .obj, .gltf and.usd, being able to convert them to USDZ. 

What is USDZ and what is it for?

Developers can edit the file by customizing material properties with new textures, edit metadata, and more.

In addition, the resulting 3D objects can be positioned in different lighting and environmental conditions, thanks to the integrated IBL options.

Apple introduced USDZ as an open augmented reality format in 2018 alongside ARKit 2 on iOS 12.

Developed in collaboration with Pixar, the technology is based on the USD contender format used in 3D imaging, animation, and augmented reality and virtual reality environments, but modified to present immersive augmented reality experiences on Apple platforms.

Compatible software, such as Quick Look, aggregates USD layers into a single package to present the 3D scene, composing multiple individual files into successive and larger aggregates.

Apple implements USDZ in iOS apps like Safari, Messages, Mail, News and Notes, via Quick View, which shows virtual objects in 3D or AR.

Developers can leverage Quick Look views to embed objects into their apps and web pages. Apple uses this technique to display products like Mac Pro and Pro Display in its Apple Store app.

The beta version of Reality Converter can be downloaded from Apple's developer page.