USD / Pipeline

The Pre-Launch USD Checklist: 10 Things to Verify Before You Ship

Updated October 2026

Key takeaways

  • Run the checklist before the automated ingest, not after
  • The metadata check is the one most people skip
  • A single broken variant rejects the whole file

The ten

  1. Metadata schema complete (dimensions, poly count, material slots)
  2. Thumbnail present and named
  3. 3-second turntable renders
  4. Three LODs, each with baked textures
  5. Variant sets resolve (no broken configurations)
  6. Hierarchy is clean, no orphaned prims
  7. Poly budget is under the category ceiling
  8. File opens in the target pipeline (USD / AR Quick Look)
  9. No negative-scale or mirrored geometry
  10. File size is under the upload cap

Why the order matters

The automated ingest reads the file top to bottom. If the metadata (item 1) is missing, it never reaches the LODs or the variants. That is why the checklist is run before the ingest, not after a rejection. Ten items, two minutes, and the only remaining gate is the human reviewer.

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