Isaac Sim Assets

Purpose

Configure Isaac Sim to load assets from the default hosted service, a named Asset Region Profile, or a local asset pack. Diagnose precedence and availability issues without hardcoding storage endpoints.

Source of truth

Use the Isaac Sim Accessing assets guide for the shipped profile identifiers, availability manifests, downloadable asset packs, and current launch instructions.

Workflow

1. Identify the access mode

Choose one mode before changing configuration:

• Default hosted service: use the default Asset Region Profile.
• Regional hosted service: select the documented profile for the user's region.
• Local or custom root: set ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT to a versioned asset root.
• Missing asset: first determine whether the resolved root is wrong or the selected profile does not provide that asset.

2. Apply asset-root precedence

Resolve competing configuration in this order:

1. ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT
2. ISAACSIM_ASSET_REGION_PROFILE
3. Command-line setting
4. Experience file
5. Extension default

ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT overrides the root selected by a profile. If a profile appears to be ignored, clear that variable and restart Isaac Sim:

# Linux
unset ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT

rem Windows Command Prompt
set ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT=

# Windows PowerShell
Remove-Item Env:ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Both environment-variable workflows update the persistent asset-root setting. Clearing an environment variable alone might therefore leave the previously selected root in place. Follow the reset procedure in the Accessing assets guide when returning to the default root.

3. Select a hosted profile

Use the identifier documented for the user's region:

export ISAACSIM_ASSET_REGION_PROFILE=PROFILE_NAME
./isaac-sim.sh

set "ISAACSIM_ASSET_REGION_PROFILE=PROFILE_NAME"
isaac-sim.bat

Do not copy a profile's endpoint into ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT. Profiles can configure routing, asset search, and the asset root together.

4. Use a local asset pack

Download and verify every part of the complete asset pack before extraction. Confirm that the extracted versioned root contains both Isaac and NVIDIA directories, then set only the explicit root:

export ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT="$HOME/isaacsim_assets/Assets/Isaac/VERSION_DIRECTORY"
./isaac-sim.sh

set "ISAACSIM_ASSET_ROOT=C:\isaacsim_assets\Assets\Isaac\VERSION_DIRECTORY"
isaac-sim.bat

The downloadable packs are built from the default Asset Region Profile's asset set.

5. Resolve paths through the public API

Never hardcode a hosted profile's storage endpoint or derive object URLs from an availability manifest. Resolve the configured root and join relative paths with the storage API:

from isaacsim.storage.native import get_assets_root_path, path_join

asset_root = get_assets_root_path()
asset_path = path_join(asset_root, "Isaac/Robots/<asset-path>.usd")

Use get_assets_root_path_async in asynchronous code.

6. Verify and diagnose

• In the app, select Utilities > Check Default Assets Root Path.
• Confirm that the reported root matches the intended mode.
• For a missing asset on a non-default profile, check that profile's availability manifest.
• Treat an available manifest status as mirror availability, not proof that every dependency outside the manifest's covered path is present.
• If the asset is not provided, use the default profile or a verified local asset pack.
• Distinguish access denied, transport errors, and missing objects; do not treat them as the same failure.

Boundaries

• Do not install Isaac Sim; route installation requests to isaac-sim-installation.
• Do not edit the user's omniverse.toml to select a profile.
• Do not expose or recommend direct bucket or CDN URLs.
• Do not assume that clearing ISAACSIM_ASSET_REGION_PROFILE restores the default root.
• Do not claim that a regional profile contains the complete default asset catalog.