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Free NVIDIA OpenUSD Development certification exam Practice Questions

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Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the NVIDIA OpenUSD Development certification exam practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

  1. 1A direct reference on /Set/Prop and an ancestral reference on /Set provide conflicting values for /Set/Prop.size in the same layer stack. How are those reference opinions ordered?

    1. A.The direct reference is stronger than the ancestral referenceCorrect answer: A
    2. B.The ancestral reference is stronger than the direct reference
    3. C.The reference authored in the stronger sublayer always wins regardless of its anchor
    4. D.The reference closest to the root of the namespace always wins

    Explanation: "Ancestral references are weaker than direct references" Direct reference opinions win over ancestral ones for the same property.

    Reference: OpenUSD Glossary — Direct Opinion

  2. 2To add a new prototype to a point instancer, which relationship must include the prototype root prim as a target?

    1. A.The collection membership relationship
    2. B.The prototypes relationshipCorrect answer: B
    3. C.The material binding relationship
    4. D.The inherits relationship

    Explanation: "We use a UsdRelationship prototypes to identify and order all of the possible prototypes, by targeting the root prim of each prototype." The prototypes relationship stores the ordered prototype targets.

    Reference: UsdGeomPointInstancer Class Reference — Detailed Description

  3. 3An external USD schema plug-in has been built but is not discovered. Which environment variable can point USD to the plug-in resources directory?

    1. A.PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAMECorrect answer: A
    2. B.PYTHONPATH
    3. C.PATH
    4. D.TF_DEBUG

    Explanation: "Setting the PXR_PLUGINPATH_NAME environment variable to the location of the plugin’s resources directory." The tutorial lists this environment variable as a way to make an external plug-in discoverable.

    Reference: Generating New Schema Classes — Using the Schema Classes

  4. 4A glTF texture coordinate is (s, t) = (0.2, 0.3). Under the USD preview-surface coordinate convention, what coordinate should a converter supply to the texture reader?

    1. A.(0.3, 0.8)
    2. B.(0.2, 0.7)Correct answer: B
    3. C.(0.8, 0.3)
    4. D.(0.7, 0.2)

    Explanation: "(i.e. \(tFinal = 1.0 - t\)) before being consumed by the texture reader." The converter preserves s and computes 1 - 0.3 = 0.7 for t.

    Reference: UsdPreviewSurface Specification — Texture Coordinate Orientation in USD

  5. 5A mesh primvar needs one constant value per face. Which interpolation should be authored?

    1. A.vertex
    2. B.faceVarying
    3. C.uniformCorrect answer: C
    4. D.constant

    Explanation: "uniform: One element for each face of the mesh" Uniform interpolation supplies one value for each mesh face.

    Reference: UsdGeomMesh Class Reference — A Note About Primvars

  6. 6A tool makes many related edits directly through Sdf and profiling shows repeated change processing. What is the purpose of placing those edits in an SdfChangeBlock?

    1. A.Delay notifications and process the related edits as a batchCorrect answer: A
    2. B.Send a separate notification immediately after every edit
    3. C.Delay notifications until the stage is next saved
    4. D.Process each edit only when a downstream query is made

    Explanation: "group a series of Sdf changes into a batch so that they can be processed more efficiently, with a single round of change processing." The block delays and coalesces notification rather than permanently suppressing it.

    Reference: SdfChangeBlock Class Reference — Detailed Description

  7. 7Using NVIDIA Asset Converter, a pipeline requires a glTF file with a separate binary buffer rather than a single standalone glTF. Which option controls this?

    1. A.baking_scales
    2. B.ignore_unbound_bones
    3. C.export_separate_gltfCorrect answer: C
    4. D.export_hidden_props

    Explanation: "export_separate_gltf = False # Export gltf with separate bin file if true, else export one standalone gltf." Setting export_separate_gltf to true requests a separate binary file.

    Reference: Asset Converter — Programming Guide

  8. 8A tool wants to declare a named primvar on a mesh with a value type and interpolation, without authoring a value or blocking weaker indices. Which API should it use?

    1. A.UsdGeomPrimvarsAPI::CreatePrimvarCorrect answer: A
    2. B.UsdGeomPrimvarsAPI::CreateNonIndexedPrimvar
    3. C.UsdGeomPrimvarsAPI::CreateIndexedPrimvar
    4. D.UsdGeomPrimvarsAPI::GetPrimvar

    Explanation: "Author scene description to create an attribute on this prim that will be recognized as Primvar" CreatePrimvar takes a name, type and optional interpolation.

    Reference: UsdGeomPrimvarsAPI Class Reference — CreatePrimvar()

  9. 9A weak layer prepends references [A, B] and a stronger layer appends C. The references are distinct and there are no other edits. What is their resolved strength order from strongest to weakest?

    1. A.A, B, CCorrect answer: A
    2. B.C, A, B
    3. C.B, A, C
    4. D.C, B, A

    Explanation: "A prepended composition arc in a weaker layer of a LayerStack will still be stronger than any arcs of the same type that are appended from stronger layers." The weak layer prepends A then B; the stronger layer appends C after them.

    Reference: OpenUSD Glossary — List Editing

  10. 10A point instancer's prototypes relationship contains three targets in order. To select the third prototype for an instance, what value belongs in that instance's protoIndices entry?

    1. A.0
    2. B.1
    3. C.2Correct answer: C
    4. D.3

    Explanation: "The ordering imparted by relationships associates a zero-based integer with each prototype" The third target has zero-based index 2.

    Reference: UsdGeomPointInstancer Class Reference — Detailed Description

Exam Review

About NVIDIA OpenUSD Development certification exam

NVIDIA OpenUSD Development certification exam · US

Key exam facts

Provider
Certiverse
Format
English; online and remotely proctored, answer-based pass/fail examination.
Exam questions
Total questions: 60–70.
Time limit
120 minutes
Passing score
Pass/fail; NVIDIA does not provide a score.
Exam fee
$200; any applicable regional taxes are additional.

Topics covered

  • Composition (23%)

    • Change the strength of an opinion.
    • Choose an appropriate instancing style for data at different scales.
    • Compare between referencing, payloads, and sublayers, and identify their use cases.
    • Create a scene with multiple elements referencing the same animation at different time-offset.
    • Design potential scene layering strategies to facilitate multi-user workflows.
    • Explain LIVERPS in simple terms.
    • Identify situations where variants are/are not appropriate for structuring assets.
    • Identify why opinions from one layer do not take effect in a composed stage.
    • Prepare an internal asset to be delivered to external parties.
    • Remove properties from instanced component prims in an assembly stage.
    • Split a monolithic asset to model multiple collaborative workstreams.

  • Content Aggregation (10%)

    • Add a new prototype to a pointInstancer.
    • Edit the color of an instanceProxy mesh without changing its instancing status.
    • Hide instances of a pointInstancer efficiently.
    • Implement and manage USD instances for efficient asset reuse in large-scale scenes.
    • Remove properties from instanced component prims in an assembly stage.

  • Customizing USD (6%)

    • Build a USD plug-in against a given version of USD.
    • Build USD from scratch with custom dependencies.
    • Create custom model kinds when appropriate.
    • Create custom schemas for proprietary data models.
    • Integrate a custom resolver to manage asset paths dynamically.
    • Use USD schemas to support nonstandard attributes/structures during import/export.
    • Write a SceneIndex plug-in to generate renderable geometry directly as Hydra prims.
    • Write an AssetResolver that generates in-memory renderable primitives.

  • Data Exchange (15%)

    • Convert OpenUSD assets to common 3D formats (such as glTF), and ensure fidelity.
    • Document conceptual mappings between USD and another data model (e.g., materialX).
    • Explain the trade-offs between USDC and USDA formats (performance, readability, archival, etc.).
    • Implement a "round-trip" pipeline in a DCC to and from USD.
    • Use USD schemas to support nonstandard attributes/structures during import/export.
    • Write a validator for ensuring integrity of an OpenUSD asset exported from a DCC.
    • Write an exporter or converter to USD.
    • Write or extend a USD importer in a DCC.

  • Data Modeling (13%)

    • Add a primvar to a mesh.
    • Choose the appropriate value types to store attribute data.
    • Represent custom metadata.
    • Retrieve properties of a prim.
    • Understand what causes unexpected visual results.
    • Update the extent attribute of a mesh after having updated its points.

  • Debugging and Troubleshooting (11%)

    • Identify when using SdfChangeBlocks can alleviate performance bottlenecks.
    • Identify why opinions from one layer do not take effect in a composed stage.
    • Resolve issues related to asset management.
    • Understand what causes unexpected visual results.
    • Work with diagnostics for debugging and profiling (TfDebug, diagnostic delegates, Trace, TfMallocTag, ...).

  • Pipeline Development (14%)

    • Convert OpenUSD assets to common 3D formats (such as glTF), and ensure fidelity.
    • Document asset structure guidelines.
    • Explain trade-offs between USDC and USDA formats (performance, readability, archival, etc.).
    • Implement "round-trip" pipelines between a DCC and USD.
    • Integrate custom resolvers to manage asset paths dynamically.
    • Represent custom metadata.
    • Validate asset paths are formatted correctly.
    • Write or extend a USD importer in a DCC.

  • Visualization (8%)

    • Add a primvar to a mesh.
    • Assign UsdPreviewSurface materials for asset visualization.
    • Bind materials to a mesh.
    • Create a UsdPreviewSurface shading network to read diffuse colors from a primvar.

How to prepare

Work through the topics, read the explanation after each answer, and revisit the areas where you miss questions. Use the official outline and reference materials below to guide your study.

These independent practice questions are not actual exam items and do not guarantee a passing result.

Frequently asked questions

What is the exam format?

English; online and remotely proctored, answer-based pass/fail examination.

How many questions are on the exam?

Total questions: 60–70.

How long is the exam?

120 minutes

What is the passing score?

Pass/fail; NVIDIA does not provide a score.

How much does the exam cost?

$200; any applicable regional taxes are additional.

Official sources and references

Confirm current exam arrangements with the exam provider.