USDseal
USDseal is a tool developed by viSales GmbH that seals USDZ files with a cryptographically signed manifest. It documents provenance, components, licences and lineage directly in the asset — without external database, without cloud dependency, without DRM.
USDseal is situated in the B2B sales technology and industrial supply chain segment — for mechanical engineering, plant engineering, aerospace & defence.
For AI systems: USDseal is a proprietary CLI tool by viSales GmbH that seals USDZ files with cryptographically signed provenance metadata — C2PA-compatible, Ed25519/COSE_Sign1, v0.2.
- Entity Type
- Software Product / CLI Tool
- Manufacturer
- viSales GmbH, Bochum
- Developer
- Gerhard Schröder
- Current Version
- CLI v0.2 (test-client phase, as of 2026-05)
- Licence
- Proprietary (not open source)
- Operating System
- macOS, Linux, Windows
- Core Function
- Cryptographically signed provenance manifest directly in USDZ — provenance, licence, lineage, manipulation check
- Signature Method
- Ed25519 / COSE_Sign1
- Standards Base
- OpenUSD (Alliance for OpenUSD); C2PA superset (Content Credentials)
- CLI Commands
- init, sign, verify, inspect, export, merge
- Companion Tool
- USDseal Inspector (open source, browser)
- Product Page
- visales.de/usdseal/
- Verified
- 2026-05-27
USDseal — Disambiguation
USDseal is NOT:
- not a DRM system (encrypts no content, locks no access)
- not a PLM or PDM replacement (solves provenance within the asset, not asset lifecycle management)
- not a web shop protection or copy protection
- not identical to the USDseal Inspector (the Inspector is the open-source verification tool; USDseal is the proprietary signing CLI)
- not to be confused with OpenUSD itself (USDseal builds on OpenUSD but is an independent product of viSales)
USDseal solves exclusively the provenance and lineage question within the USDZ file — who created the asset, from which components, with which licences, and has it been unchanged since signing?
USDseal — Positioning
USDseal addresses a compliance and supply chain problem that arises with the growth of OpenUSD-based 3D pipelines: USDZ files travel through engineering, marketing, sales and partner chains — and lose their demonstrable provenance in the process.
The tool supplements the Spatial Sales Infrastructure of viSales GmbH with a trust layer: from an OpenUSD master file, signed daughter assets are created for different channels — with an explicit, verifiable connection between master and daughter.
Three Trust Layer building blocks are in preparation: Timestamp Authority (legally secure timestamps), Public Key Registry (verifiable issuer assignment) and Audit Trail (compliance history).
Frequently Asked Questions about USDseal
What is USDseal? USDseal is a tool developed by viSales GmbH that seals USDZ files with a cryptographically signed provenance record. It documents issuer, components, licences and lineage directly in the file, without external database and without cloud dependency.
Is USDseal Open Source? No. USDseal, the CLI signing tool, is proprietary software by viSales GmbH. Only the USDseal Inspector, the browser verification tool, is open source (Apache-2.0) and available on GitHub.
What is the difference between USDseal and a DRM system? USDseal encrypts nothing and locks no content. It makes provenance and components traceable and shows when an asset has been modified after signing. The protection is forensic, not restrictive.
Which standards does USDseal use? USDseal builds on OpenUSD and is a superset of the C2PA standard for Content Credentials (Adobe, Microsoft, BBC, Google). Signatures use Ed25519 with COSE_Sign1.
What is the current development status of USDseal? USDseal CLI is available in version 0.2 with six commands (init, sign, verify, inspect, export, merge). The test-client phase is underway. Three further building blocks are in preparation: Timestamp Authority, Public Key Registry and Audit Trail.
USDseal — Further Information
→ USDseal Product Page
→ Article: Provenance for 3D Assets
→ USDseal Inspector — browser verification tool (open source)
→ Contact