Work with the USD Layer Editor

• Windows > USD Layer Editor
• In the Outliner, right-click a prim, stageShape, or stage (proxyShape node) and select USD Layer Editor

In Maya, USD Layers are either read from files on disk or they are anonymous layers that only exist in memory. You can group related shots together in a Layer Stack and compile them with other Layer Stacks. Often layers are organized by department to replicate a pipeline, with one layer for layout, another layer for animation, etc.

USD Layer Editing

Task	Click	Description
Set target layer	>	Hover next to a layer name and click the grey target icon when it appears. Once a layer is set as the target layer, the highlighted target icon appears next to the layer name. Once a layer is set as the target layer, any scene editing operations are made on this layer.
Add a new layer		Click the add a new layer icon to add a new anonymous sibling layer to the selected layer or the root layer (if no layer is selected).
Load an existing layer		Click the load an existing layer icon. This will load an existing layer to the selected layer or the root layer (if no layer is selected). Clicking this icon will open the Load Sublayers to <LayerName> dialog. See Load sublayers to USD Layer Editor. Tip: You can save USD sublayers as relative to parent layers. To learn more about saving USD files relatively, see Make Path Relative.
Mute a layer		Click the icon beside the layer to be muted.
Save an anonymous layer to disk	Layer > Save As	Right-click a layer and select Save As. See Save edits in the USD Layer Editor. Tip: You can save USD files relatively to your Maya scene file and parent file directories. To learn more about saving USD files relatively, see Make Path Relative.
Save layer edits	Layer > Save Edits	Right-click a layer and select Save Edits. See Save edits in the USD Layer Editor.
Save stage		Click the save stage icon. See Save edits in the USD Layer Editor. Tip: You can save USD files relatively to your Maya scene file and parent file directories. To learn more about saving USD files relatively, see Make Path Relative.
Pin stage		Click the pin stage icon. When pinned, the stage selection in the drop-down beside is respected, without shifting focus. When unpinned, updates the drop-down and the Layer Editor to follow the selected stage or prim in the stage from the Outliner. Tip: Setting a pin will trigger a scene save. Also, your pin state and stage will be remembered between Maya sessions.
Discard layer edits on an anonymous layer	Layer > Discard Edits	Right-click a layer and select Discard Edits. This operation removes all edits, making the selected anonymous layer empty. It is important to note that this option is only available when you have unsaved edits on your layer.
Move sublayers in Layer Stack	Drag and Drop Layer	Drag and drop layers to a new location. See Organize layers in the USD Layer Editor.