I have a question as to if there is a difference between a usd geometry model and the same geometry model but in fbx. or obj./stl.?
I am trying to setup a render rig where i can import a model and have lights, cameras and render settings ready to have a consistant render style for my models. Im also trying to have it be as efficient as possible as in to turn into an hda.
Right now i have a lights switch, a sop create for the background with different types of backgrounds, and the sop create where i import the model and create some instances and add animations to them so i can later choose if to render only 1 view or 2 or 3.
Would it be better to reference the lights, the background and have a small hda where it processes the model instead of the sop create? As well as importing an already processed model done in another hip. file, would that have any impact on render times?
There is going to be some additional time to load files like fbx or obj, translate those files into equivalent SOP form then USD form, running the LOP nodes... But this time is going to be pretty inconsequential compared to the time spent actually rendering.
So I'd advise doing the thing that makes the user workflow as smooth as it can be. Having to pre-convert source data into USD files, or pre-cache lights into a USD file are annoying extra steps for the user (or for you while you work on this HDA) which will cost way more time than doing the geo translation and light creation "just in time".
This balance may switch if the geometry is incredibly complicated. Of course the more complicated the data the longer the render takes, so it's still a small percentage of the time spent. But this time may become noticeable to the user. So don't actually trust anything I say. Measure how long these various steps take with your actual data.
