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URDF → USD

URDF can become a USD robot asset, but the target stage owns more than the source file did.

Isaac Sim provides an official URDF importer that converts URDF robot models into USD assets. Importer options can restructure meshes, collision and fixed-joint representation, so conversion settings belong in the provenance record.

CITATION RECORD
Canonical source ↗Citation guide →
MATURITYCONVERSION REFERENCE
LAST VERIFIED16 Oct 2026
SOURCE VERSIONIsaac Sim 6.x URDF importer + OpenUSD asset workflow
EVIDENCE BOUNDARYIsaac Sim-specific conversion reference. USD is a broader ecosystem and different importers may produce different structure.

IMPORT PATH

Isaac Sim exposes URDF-to-USD through UI and Python APIs.

01URDF→
02Importer config→
03URDF importer→
04USD asset→
05Isaac / OpenUSD workflow

TARGET REVIEW

USD introduces composition and physics structure beyond the URDF source.

01

Prim naming

Target naming rules can normalize source link or joint identifiers.

02

Asset structure

Geometry, metadata and physics can be reorganized into USD asset layers.

03

Fixed joints

Importer options can merge fixed structures in the target asset.

04

Collision

Collision geometry may be generated or transformed according to importer settings.

05

Physics schemas

Articulation and runtime tuning become target-side USD responsibilities.

06

Composition

References, payloads and variants can later evolve independently from the source URDF.

CONNECTED CONCEPTS

Follow the system, not just the term.

URDF vs USD

Compare source responsibility before conversion.

Conversion Loss Matrix

Track semantics that may be transformed or added.

OpenRGD USD Import

See the narrow auditable USD/USDA evidence subset OpenRGD currently imports.

PRIMARY SOURCES

01Isaac Sim — Import URDF↗02Isaac Sim — URDF Importer API↗03Isaac Sim — USD asset structure↗04URDF vs USD↗