ArcGIS CityEngine Connector for Nvidia Omniverse and ArcGIS CityEngine for Autodesk Maya plugin removal

Description

The Nvidia Omniverse Connector for ArcGIS CityEngine and Autodesk Maya plugin for ArcGIS CityEngine serve as bridges between ArcGIS CityEngine and Nvidia and Autodesk 3D design software, respectively. Both are currently available to ArcGIS CityEngine users as a separate download/installer from Esri GitHub. The Connector and the plugin will no longer be available for download as of October 1, 2025.

Nvidia Omniverse Connector for ArcGIS CityEngine

The Nvidia Omniverse Connector for ArcGIS CityEngine allows users to transfer 3D models between ArcGIS CityEngine and Nvidia Omniverse to simulate environments such as lighting, traffic, and environmental changes. Users can also adjust part of their 3D models without overwriting or redoing the whole export.

The Nvidia Omniverse Connector for ArcGIS CityEngine is being retired because Nvidia recently transitioned its Architecture, Engineering, and Construction end-user apps for Nvidia Omniverse to developer/SDK examples.

Autodesk Maya plugin for ArGIS CityEngine (known as Serlio)

The Autodesk Maya plugin for ArcGIS CityEngine, known as Serlio, allows users to transfer 3D models between ArcGIS CityEngine and Autodesk Maya. This integration was designed to support the movie and entertainment industry with the ability to include ArcGIS CityEngine 3D models into their asset databases.

The Autodesk Maya plugin for ArcGIS CityEngine is being retired because the same workflow can be completed using the Universal Scene Description (USD) inside ArcGIS CityEngine.

Recommendation

The Universal Scene Description (USD) exporter in ArGIS CityEngine provides an alternative workflow to export CityEngine 3D models to Nvidia Omniverse. Users can manually upload their exported USD files to the Nvidia Omniverse Nucleus server for similar results. However, network transfer and live sync capabilities are not supported.

Users of the Autodesk Maya plugin for ArcGIS CityEngine can follow a similar workflow by using the USD exporter to write the designed models to USD files, and then, using the Autodesk Maya plugin, import the files into Autodesk Maya. The corresponding GitHub repository will remain in read-mode for future reference.