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Omniverse Realtime Viewer

OpenAIOfficialCreated by NVIDIA OmniverseDistributed by OpenAI

  • Skill
  • Meta (authoring, orchestration, planning, memory)
  • Software development
  • Apache-2.0
  • Medium risk
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From the author

Use as the top-level router for Omniverse Realtime Viewer USD app requests and focused viewer reference documents.
— the description by NVIDIA Omniverse

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

The Omniverse Realtime Viewer skill acts as a central orchestrator for developing USD-based viewer applications. It provides a structured approach to selecting implementation recipes, enforcing architectural conventions, and managing dependencies. By utilizing a set of focused reference documents, it guides developers through the lifecycle of building, configuring, and validating viewer applications, ensuring consistent behavior across different delivery paths such as local workstations or streaming environments.

What it does

  • Routes development requests to specific implementation recipes based on the target delivery path.
  • Enforces architectural rules for USD rendering, stage management, and UI integration.
  • Provides guidance on camera selection, input handling, and viewport interaction.
  • Standardizes the integration of AOV switching and render product configuration.
  • Facilitates the capture of validation evidence for viewer readiness.
  • Maintains separation between user-provided USD files and application-specific session state.

When to use it

  • When initiating the development of a new USD viewer application within the Omniverse ecosystem.
  • When determining the appropriate delivery path for a viewer, such as local native or streaming.
  • When needing to implement consistent camera, selection, or UI behavior across viewer projects.
  • When integrating advanced rendering features like AOV switching into an existing viewer.

Advantages

  • Ensures architectural consistency across diverse viewer implementations.
  • Provides a clear, modular path for adding specific capabilities like input routing or data display.
  • Promotes clean separation of concerns between stage data and viewer-owned state.
  • Standardizes the validation process for consistent delivery.

Usage examples

“I need to build a browser-based viewer for USD files.”
The agent will route you to the streaming viewer recipe, providing guidance on WebRTC stream setup, UI integration, and viewport interaction.
“How do I implement AOV switching in my local USD viewer?”
The agent will provide the AOV switching reference, detailing how to map render vars and update the display state on the server.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/openai/omniverse-realtime-viewer/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip omniverse-realtime-viewer.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by NVIDIA Omniverse

<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2026 NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved. -->

<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 -->

Omniverse Realtime Viewer

This is the top-level entry point for the Omniverse Realtime Viewer skill package. It is self-contained: all required routing, conventions, and validation guidance live in the selected references.

Use the focused reference documents as implementation recipes. This file chooses the right recipes and preserves the architectural rules that must hold across all generated viewer apps.

Instructions

Start by classifying the requested viewer, then read only the references needed for that delivery path and feature set. Implement the render path first, layer interaction and UI behavior on top of it, and finish by capturing validation evidence from references/validation.md.

Read Order

  1. Read references/routing.md to choose the delivery path and focused references.

  2. Read references/conventions.md before implementing camera, input, selection, viewport, streaming protocol, scene loading, or environment behavior.

  3. For broad viewer requests, read references/usd-viewer-app/README.md.

  4. If the delivery path is unclear, read references/streaming-vs-local/README.md.

  5. If the prompt includes layout, panels, controls, inspectors, status, or UX, read references/viewer-ux-workflow/README.md and then the focused viewer UI references. This applies to React/WebRTC, Tauri, Electron, ovui, ovwidgets, and Dear ImGui apps; "frontend" means user-facing UI, not only browser UI.

  6. For viewport interaction, read references/viewer-input-routing/README.md before references/camera-controls/README.md, references/native-picking-selection/README.md, or references/object-selection/README.md.

  7. Read only the focused capability references needed for the requested app.

  8. Use references/validation.md to capture review evidence before handoff.

Non-Negotiables

  • Use ovrtx for all USD and 3D rendering.

  • Browser apps display an ovstream WebRTC video stream plus UI. The browser does not render USD geometry.

  • Do not substitute WebGL, Three.js, Babylon.js, PlayCanvas, A-Frame, model-viewer, react-three-fiber, glTF browser viewers, or other client-side 3D renderers.

  • If local validation cannot run because the GPU/runtime environment is absent, scaffold the ovrtx path and document the runtime requirement. Do not add a browser-renderer fallback.

  • Keep user USD files unmodified. Viewer cameras, render products, render vars, settings, selection metadata, and runtime state belong in session/composite layers or app state.

  • Keep one owner for renderer.step(), stage mutation, native picking, selection writes, and live attribute writes.

  • Keep dependency acquisition in references/dependencies/README.md and deployment choices in references/cloud-deployment/README.md; do not duplicate package locations or deployment setup.

Focused Reference Families

  • Entry points and recipes: references/usd-viewer-app/README.md, references/streaming-viewer-recipe/README.md, references/ovui-local-viewer-recipe/README.md, references/streaming-vs-local/README.md, references/electron-shm-viewer/README.md, references/ovwidgets-editor-shell/README.md.

  • Rendering and stage: references/ovrtx-rendering/README.md, references/stage-loading/README.md, references/stage-management/README.md, references/render-settings/README.md, references/aov-switching/README.md, references/stage-hierarchy/README.md, references/stage-queries/README.md, references/stage-attribute-reads/README.md, references/prim-transform-safety/README.md, references/usd-sample-data/README.md.

  • Delivery and runtime: references/streaming-server/README.md, references/streaming-client/README.md, references/streaming-messages/README.md, references/streaming-lifecycle/README.md, references/local-viewer/README.md, references/tauri-local-viewer/README.md, references/cpp-native-viewer/README.md, references/headless-shm-cli/README.md, references/viewer-backend-interface/README.md, references/webgl-shm-transport/README.md.

  • Viewer UI/UX: references/viewer-ux-workflow/README.md, references/viewer-layout-patterns/README.md, references/viewer-control-patterns/README.md, references/viewer-data-view-patterns/README.md, references/viewer-feedback-status/README.md.

  • Interaction: references/viewer-input-routing/README.md, references/camera-controls/README.md, references/object-selection/README.md, references/native-picking-selection/README.md, references/selection-feedback/README.md, references/selection-animation/README.md, references/transform-manipulator/README.md, references/gl-viewport-overlay/README.md, references/ovui-library/README.md, references/prim-pick-effects/README.md, references/prim-info-display/README.md, references/viewport-overlays/README.md.

  • Infrastructure: references/dependencies/README.md, references/windows-native-setup/README.md, references/cloud-assets/README.md, references/cloud-deployment/README.md, references/troubleshooting/README.md.

Build Workflow

  1. Classify the prompt by delivery path, target user, required capabilities, runtime environment, validation needs, and explicit constraints.

  2. Select a small reference set. Start with the recipe or routing reference, then add focused capabilities such as camera, picking, hierarchy, properties, render settings, transform tools, cloud assets, or deployment.

  3. Read selected references before writing app code. Follow their build order, import order, data-channel contracts, and renderer ownership rules.

  4. Implement the core render path first, then input routing and camera, then selection and data panels, then scene/settings features, then packaging or deployment.

  5. Treat the selected references as the behavior contract for API shape, compatibility, and generated project structure.

  6. Capture validation evidence before calling the viewer ready.

Examples

  • For a browser viewer request, use the streaming recipe references plus camera, picking, hierarchy, properties, render settings, and stream-status references.

  • For a local workstation viewer request, use the local or native delivery references plus renderer setup, stage loading, viewport input, and validation.

Completion Checklist

  • Selected references match the user's intent and delivery path.

  • No code path uses a browser-side 3D renderer for USD.

  • The generated app has one clear owner for render stepping and stage mutation.

  • User USD files remain untouched by viewer-owned session data.

  • Camera, input, selection, scene loading, and stream behavior follow references/conventions.md.

  • Setup/build/run results and visual interaction evidence are captured with references/validation.md.

Files

references/electron-shm-viewer/architecture-project.md

Electron SHM Architecture And Project

Global Rules

  • Use packages, libraries, and deployment references from the focused references selected for the project.

  • ovrtx is the only renderer. Do not render USD, meshes, materials, lights, cameras, or scene graphs in Electron.

  • WebGL is allowed only for pixel upload/blit from a server-rendered frame into a texture. It is not a scene renderer in this architecture.

  • Keep the process boundary explicit: Python server process on one side, Electron main/preload/renderer processes on the other.

  • Send binary pixels through SHM. Send app state through JSON event_type/payload messages.

  • Do not send frame pixels through JSON, base64, screenshots, or generic Electron IPC payloads.

  • Set OVRTX_SKIP_USD_CHECK=1 before importing ovrtx or constructing ovrtx.Renderer.

  • One render loop thread owns renderer.step(), stage reset/load, render product setup, and live write_attribute() calls.

  • Use fixed server render resolution and UI-side letterboxing. Treat live resize as advisory unless the app intentionally reloads render products.

Read These Skills

Reference focused references instead of duplicating their full contracts:

NeedRead
Renderer construction, step(), LdrColor, AOVs, omni:xform writesovrtx-rendering
Camera, RenderProduct, RenderVar, RenderSettings, inline root/session stagestage-loading
Shared JSON event_type/payload protocol and message namesstreaming-messages
Orbit, pan, zoom, fit, finite camera matrices, drag thresholdviewer-input-routing, camera-controls
Native click picking, pickability, and selectable prim stateviewer-input-routing, object-selection
Hierarchy, properties, variants, bounds, root prim detectionstage-hierarchy
WebGL texture upload, BGRA/RGBA conversion, blit shader, canvas sizingwebgl-shm-transport

Important distinction: reuse the message envelope and event names from streaming-messages, but do not inherit its transport assumptions. In this path React pointer events cross the preload bridge and become local JSON app messages over the SHM control channel.

When to Use This vs Other Paths

You want...Use...
Small Python desktop viewer with ovui widgetslocal-viewer
React desktop UI and no Python runtimetauri-local-viewer
React desktop UI with Python ovrtx sidecarThis skill
Browser client outside the desktop hoststreaming-viewer-recipe
Initial architecture routingstreaming-vs-local

Choose Electron + SHM when:

  • The app runs on the same machine as the NVIDIA GPU.

  • Existing Python ovrtx server code should be reused.

  • React/shared UI components are required.

  • A process boundary is useful for restart, crash isolation, or dependency separation.

  • Raw local frame transfer matters more than simplest packaging.

Avoid Electron + SHM when:

  • A minimal local viewport is enough; use local-viewer.

  • A single native binary without Python is required; use tauri-local-viewer.

  • The client is not on the desktop host; use streaming-viewer-recipe.

  • A full editor shell is requested; route through streaming-vs-local.

Architecture Overview

Python ovrtx server process
  -> owns ovrtx.Renderer and USD/pxr query state
  -> calls renderer.step()
  -> writes BGRA/RGBA frames into POSIX shared memory
  -> sends/receives JSON app events over ovstream SHM control channel

Electron main process
  -> starts or attaches to Python server
  -> loads N-API addon wrapping libovstream_shm_client.so
  -> uses WaitFrame async worker on libuv thread pool
  -> forwards SharedArrayBuffer frame handles to renderer
  -> exposes narrow preload API through contextBridge

React renderer process
  -> useShmBackend.ts implements ViewerBackend
  -> reuses shared UI components
  -> uploads SharedArrayBuffer pixels to WebGL texture
  -> sends UI commands as JSON app messages

The binary path and app-state path must stay separate:

  • Binary pixels: ovrtx frame -> SHM server -> SHM client addon -> SharedArrayBuffer -> WebGL texture upload.

  • App state: React/preload -> Electron main/addon -> SHM control channel -> Python message_router.py, then responses/events back through the same JSON envelope.

Project Skeleton

Use this shape unless the host repo already has an equivalent convention:

electron-shm-usd-viewer/
  requirements.txt or pyproject.toml
  package.json
  server/
    app.py
    config.py
    runtime.py
    renderer_runtime.py
    scene_loader.py
    shm_server.py
    message_router.py
    command_queue.py
    camera_controller.py
    selection_controller.py
    render_settings.py
    scene_manager.py
    stage_queries.py
    settings_store.py
  electron/
    main.ts
    preload.ts
    pythonSidecar.ts
    shmClient.ts
    lifecycle.ts
    ipc.ts
    native/
      binding.gyp or CMakeLists.txt
      src/
        addon.cc
        shm_client.cc
        wait_frame_worker.cc
        frame_header.h
  frontend/
    src/
      App.tsx
      backend/
        ViewerBackend.ts
        useShmBackend.ts
        messages.ts
        frameTypes.ts
      viewport/
        ShmViewport.tsx
        webglBlit.ts
        letterbox.ts
      components/
        SceneTree.tsx
        PropertyPanel.tsx
        Toolbar.tsx
        RenderSettingsPanel.tsx
        StatusBar.tsx
  assets/samples/
  data/viewer-settings.json

Stable ownership:

  • server/app.py sets env, constructs runtime, starts SHM, enters render loop, and shuts down cleanly.

  • server/renderer_runtime.py owns ovrtx renderer, active render product, AOV selection, frame extraction, stage reset/load, and live attribute writes.

  • server/shm_server.py owns ovstream SHM server lifecycle, frame publish, control-channel send/receive, attach/detach state, and cleanup.

  • server/message_router.py decodes JSON, validates payloads, dispatches commands, and sends responses. Slow USD queries should not run in transport callbacks.

  • electron/main.ts owns app lifecycle, BrowserWindow, sidecar startup, and the native addon instance.

  • electron/preload.ts exposes only the viewer API, never raw Node or native objects.

  • frontend/src/backend/useShmBackend.ts adapts preload calls to the shared ViewerBackend interface.

  • frontend/src/viewport/webglBlit.ts owns texture upload and drawing only.

Requirements and compatibility

Written for: OpenAI Codex

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

The author says: Orchestrator skill. Downstream focused references may require NVIDIA GPUs, ovrtx, ovstream, ovui, OpenUSD, Python, Node/React, Tauri, Electron, C++, or cloud GPU deployment access depending on the selected viewer path.

Security

What our scanner noticed· Medium risk

  • Large base64-encoded blobs
  • Instructions that use the network

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by
NVIDIA Omniverse
Publisher
OpenAI (Official)
Distributed by
OpenAI
Source
openai/plugins · plugins/nvidia/skills/omniverse-realtime-viewer · commit d420d13
Licence
Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (written by AutoGineer)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by NVIDIA Omniverse or OpenAI.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download omniverse-realtime-viewer.zip