# Setup USD environment for the first time
**URL:** https://forum.aousd.org/t/setup-usd-environment-for-the-first-time/1165
**Category:** Build and Deployment
**Created:** [January 25, 2024, 10:44am UTC](https://forum.aousd.org/t/setup-usd-environment-for-the-first-time/1165 "2024-01-25T10:44:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mustafa\_jafar](https://forum.aousd.org/u/mustafa_jafar)
#### Post date: [January 25, 2024, 10:44am UTC](https://forum.aousd.org/t/setup-usd-environment-for-the-first-time/1165/1 "2024-01-25T10:44:39Z")
Hello everyone,
I am new to the openUSD world.
I followed many USD courses/guides where I learned about USD concepts and wrote some python code to play around with USD in Jupyter notebooks as well as Houdini.
So far I tried the following setups:
### Setup 1: usd-core and jupyter notebook
It’s the easiest setup to get your hands dirty.
> This extensivly used in Nvidia’s tutorials, e.g. **[USD-Tutorials-And-Examples](https://github.com/NVIDIA-Omniverse/USD-Tutorials-And-Examples)**
#### Steps:
Run the following commands in terminal.
```auto
pip install jupyter
pip install usd-core
```
#### Verify installation
In jupyter I can run the following example to verify my installation.
```python
from pxr import Usd
print(Usd.GetVersion())
```
### Setup 2: Pre-Built Libraries and Tools
This setup offers more capabilities. e.g. you have `usdview` tool.
> You should use a compatible built version with the version of python on your machine.
#### Steps:
1. Download [Pre-build USD binaries](https://developer.nvidia.com/usd#libraries-and-tools) from Nvidia
2. Set Environment variables before running python/jupyter (I don’t won’t to set them in user or system environment. so, I set them before running USD tools)
```auto
set PATH=%PATH%;E:\USDROOT\bin;E:\USDROOT\lib;
set PYTHONPATH=%PYTHONPATH%;E:\USDROOT\lib\python;E:\USDROOT\python\Lib;
```
#### Verify installation
You can run the same example.
```python
from pxr import Usd
print(Usd.GetVersion())
```
Also, you can run `usdview`
1. get demo usd scene e.g. esper room
2. Run `usdview`
```auto
usdview esper_room_v3\EsperRoom.usda
```
### Setup 3: Use Houdini Command Line Tools
Since I’m a Houdini guy I have access to Houdini command line tools.
Houdini comes with pre-built Libraries!
No steps or verification required.
you only use `hcmd`!
this is how it looks on my side.
```auto
"C:\Program Files\Side Effects Software\Houdini 19.5.805\bin\hcmd.exe"
```
* * *
## My issue
So far this was good enough. BUT, How could I setup my environment for developing in C++ and Python.
Are there any step by step guides that demonstrate the full process ?
As far as I know the full process is as follows :
1. Clone USD repo
2. Add it to include path in C++ (which is specific to your C++ setup)
3. Write example USD code (it can be as simple cout USD version)
4. compile and run it
But, when do I need to build the library or my code ? and How do I add the python bindings ?
And, Many many thanks.
Mustafa.
---
### Author:  [@mustafa\_jafar](https://forum.aousd.org/u/mustafa_jafar)
#### Post date: [January 26, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://forum.aousd.org/t/setup-usd-environment-for-the-first-time/1165/2 "2024-01-26T14:06:29Z")
why can’t I modify my own post ?
---
### Author:  [@BigRoyNL](https://forum.aousd.org/u/BigRoyNL)
#### Post date: [January 26, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://forum.aousd.org/t/setup-usd-environment-for-the-first-time/1165/3 "2024-01-26T16:29:23Z")
This might have to do with you being a new user to the forum.
It’s a common ‘anti-spam’ pattern to disable editing posts for new users because there’s a tendency for bots to post “valid topics” and then edit them after a few days or so to the actual spam message. It could be that you need to have a higher “trust level”. It could even be that now after your second post here that your trust level has increased and you can now suddenly edit! 🙂 But could also be that you need to be just one level higher, which I think is “member”. According to [this](https://forum.katalon.com/t/getting-started-part-5-what-are-trust-levels/78538#trust-level-2-member-3) the default behavior for “editing posts up to 30 days” you need to be Trust Level 2: Member.
Ah, reading it again I think at Trust Level 1 (which you are now) you should **not** be able to:
> Edit your own posts after more than 24 hours
Which would mean that you should now still be able to edit your new post, but not the first if the first was say now 24+ hours ago.
Anyway, had a quick look on my own posts - I seem to be able to edit my older posts so it doesn’t appear that there’s a very short time limit set for how long a post can be edited for.
---
### Author:  [@mustafa\_jafar](https://forum.aousd.org/u/mustafa_jafar)
#### Post date: [January 29, 2024, 10:48am UTC](https://forum.aousd.org/t/setup-usd-environment-for-the-first-time/1165/4 "2024-01-29T10:48:53Z")
Thanks man! I guess I need to be more active here.
because I have good news!
I was able to fix my issue and wrote my first cpp program that includes `pxr/pxr.h` and can’t wait to update my post.