Lock layers in the USD Layer Editor

When a layer is locked, you cannot target or add sublayers to it. If a locked layer has sublayers, the sublayers cannot have new parent layers added to them. You can lock the layers either through the UI or enforce system-level locks.

Lock layers through the UI

You can lock a layer by clicking the lock icon or selecting Lock from the context menu.
When locking multiple layers, highlight the layers in the USD Layer Editor > right click > select Lock from the context menu.
You can lock a layer together with its sublayers using the Lock Layer and Sublayers option in the context menu.
An anonymous layer can be locked in the same manner as a layer saved on file. A locked anonymous layer can still be saved. It will remain locked after being saved.
The lock state is saved as part of the Maya data, ensuring its persistence even after reopening the project.

Note:

The sessionLayer will be automatically targeted in the following situations:

When all the layers are locked or muted
When a stage is created from a locked file

System lock

Administrators can enforce system-level locks on layers, preventing standard users from unlocking them. This can be done via Mel or Python scripts, or by locking the USD file on disk. The system-locked layers are easily identifiable by the disabled lock icons.

Note:

System locks are not saved as part of the Maya data.

Here is an example code for system-locking a layer using MEL scripts:

// Lock Type: 0 = Unlocked, 1 = Locked and 2 = System-Locked. 
// Include Sublayers : 0 = Top Layer Only, 1 : Top and Sublayers
// example: System-lock lighting_shot_1.usda

mayaUsdLayerEditor -edit -lockLayer 2 0 "|shot_1|shot_1Shape" "d:/Assets/lighting_shot_1.usda"

See Layer Locking for more information.