This section contains short definitions of terms that appear throughout the ABAQUS/CAE documentation. Following each definition are cross references to relevant sections throughout the documentation. To see glossary definitions beginning with a particular letter of the alphabet, click that letter in the table below.
ABAQUS/CAE is a Complete ABAQUS Environment that provides a simple, consistent interface for creating, submitting, monitoring, and evaluating results from ABAQUS simulations. ABAQUS/CAE is divided into modules, where each module defines a logical aspect of the modeling process; for example, defining the geometry, defining material properties, generating a mesh, submitting analysis jobs, and interpreting results.
For more information:ABAQUS/Design is an add-on capability for ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit that allows an ABAQUS model to be defined with parametric variables. Parameter studies with such models can be performed easily with scripts that generate models with various values for the parametric variables, run the analyses, and gather the results. These scripts are developed using Python, an interpreted language.
For more information:ABAQUS/Explicit is a batch input, finite element program that provides nonlinear, transient, dynamic analysis of solids and structures using explicit time integration. Its powerful contact capabilities, reliability, and computational efficiency on large models also make it highly effective for quasi-static applications involving discontinuous nonlinear behavior.
For more information:ABAQUS/Standard is a batch input, general-purpose finite element program that can be used for analysis of static, dynamic, heat transfer, and a variety of coupled problems. ABAQUS/Standard provides both automatic and direct user control of the time step and is effective for analyzing the static, dynamic, thermal, and electrical response of both linear and nonlinear models.
For more information:ABAQUS/Viewer is a subset of ABAQUS/CAE that contains only the Visualization module to provide graphical display of finite element models and results. It obtains model and result information from the output database (ODB). The major capabilities of ABAQUS/Viewer include undeformed and deformed shape plotting, results contour and symbol plotting, X–Y plotting and reporting, field output reporting, plot customization, and animation.
For more information:ACIS is an industry-standard library of geometric modeling functions that reads and writes ACIS (file extension .sat) format files. ACIS files give you a way to move geometry between ABAQUS/CAE and third-party modeling products. You can import the base feature of a part from an ACIS file; in addition, you can export a part or the part instances in the assembly to an ACIS file.
For more information:The analysis input file processor is a computer program within ABAQUS that processes the input file and submits the resulting data to the appropriate analysis program, either ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit. The functions of the analysis input file processor are to interpret the ABAQUS options, perform the necessary consistency checking, and prepare the data for the analysis program.
For more information:Use rigid parts to model rigid bodies in ABAQUS/CAE. You can create analytical rigid parts only from sketched lines, arcs, and parabolas. You use the sketched profile to create extruded or revolved three-dimensional analytical rigid parts or two-dimensional planar analytical rigid parts. If possible, you should use an analytical rigid part instead of a discrete rigid part because it is computationally less expensive.
For more information:ABAQUS/CAE uses anchor points to control the motion of text and arrow annotations. You can define anchor points based on predefined points (the upper right viewport corner, for example), arbitrary viewport points, or nodes or vertices in the model. Text annotations are anchored to a single point, but you can anchor each end of an arrow separately. You can also offset the position of your annotations from the controlling anchor points. An anchor symbol appears next to the anchor point or points while you create or edit text and arrow annotations.
For more information:In complicated models, selecting individual faces or edges from a native part or selecting element faces or nodes from an orphan mesh can be time consuming and prone to error. For example, when creating a surface from an orphan mesh, you must select the individual element faces that make up the surface and append them to your selection. To speed up the selection process, ABAQUS/CAE provides the angle method for selecting multiple faces, edges, elements, element faces, or nodes.
The angle method is a two-step process:
In the prompt area you enter an angle (from 0° to 90°).
From the part or assembly you select a face, edge, element face, or node.
You can create viewport annotations when working with ABAQUS/CAE; in addition, ABAQUS/CAE automatically generates several types of annotations. Viewport annotations generated by ABAQUS/CAE include the triad as well as the legend, title block, and state block of Visualization module plots.
For more information:An ABAQUS/CAE assembly is composed of part instances that you orient relative to each other in the global coordinate system. Loads, boundary conditions, and interactions are applied to the assembly, and the finite element mesh is generated on the assembly. The model contains only one assembly.
For more information:The first feature you create when building an ABAQUS/CAE part is called the base feature; you construct the remainder of the part by adding more features that either modify or add detail to the base feature. All other features of the part are children of the base feature; therefore, the base feature cannot be suppressed or deleted.
For more information:Basic managers are ABAQUS/CAE dialog boxes that contain lists of all of the objects of a certain type that you have created in the current model. For example, the material manager contains a list of all of the materials that you have created. Basic managers also contain Create, Edit, Copy, Rename, and Delete buttons that you can use to manipulate existing objects and to create new ones. See also step-dependent manager.
For more information:You can create beam sections to define the properties of slender, rod-like structures that provide axial strength and bending stiffness. Beams represent structures in which the cross-section is assumed to be small compared to the length. Beam sections can be assigned only to wire regions. In addition, you must assign an orientation to the regions with beam sections.
For more information:The canvas is the region of the ABAQUS/CAE main window where work takes place. The canvas can be thought of as an infinite screen or bulletin board on which you post viewports. You can imagine the canvas extending beyond the main window and your monitor; the visible portion of the canvas is called the drawing area, which you can increase by increasing the size of the main window.
For more information:CATIA is a CAD/CAM/CAE software package marketed by IBM and Dassault Systemes. You can import CATIA-format parts generated by CATIA Version 4.1.9 through Version 4.2.4. You can import parts in CATIA-format; however, you cannot export a CATIA-format part. For more information, see “Importing parts,” Section 10.7.2.
For more information:You can use the blend tools in the Part module to chamfer or bevel selected edges of the part in the current viewport. You enter the distance that the chamfer extends into each face, and ABAQUS/CAE uses the distance to define the chamfer. A chamfer creates a straight blend; a round creates a rounded blend.
For more information:A child feature is one that, when created, depends on an existing feature called the parent feature for geometric and dimensioning information. When you modify a parent feature, the modification may change its child features. Likewise, when you delete a parent feature, ABAQUS/CAE automatically deletes all of its child features.
For more information:You use construction geometry (points, lines, or circles) in the ABAQUS/CAE Sketch module to help you position and align objects in your sketch. Construction geometry is visible only when you are sketching; it is not visible on the part or assembly you are creating or modifying after you exit the Sketch module.
For more information:The context bar is located directly under the toolbar in the ABAQUS/CAE main window. The context bar contains a Module list from which you can select a module. Other items in the context bar are a function of the module in which you are working. (ABAQUS/Viewer contains only the Visualization module.)
For more information:Context-sensitive help allows you to gain immediate access to specific information in the ABAQUS/CAE online manual. You invoke context-sensitive help by selecting Help
On Context from the main menu bar and then clicking almost any feature of an ABAQUS/CAE window or dialog box. The help consists of a short description of how to use the feature, shown in a separate window.
ABAQUS/CAE allows you to apply one of eleven predefined custom views to the object in a selected viewport. (A view is a particular combination of position, orientation, and scale factor.) The custom views are front, back, left, right, top, bottom, isometric, and four user-defined views.
For more information:An ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit input file is composed of a number of option blocks, each containing data that describe a part of the model. Each option block begins with a keyword line, which is usually followed by one or more data lines. The data required in the data lines for particular option blocks are specified in the ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit User's manuals.
For more information:Degrees of freedom are the fundamental variables calculated during an analysis. For example, in a stress/displacement analysis the degrees of freedom are the translations and, for shell and beam elements, the rotations at each node. The degrees of freedom active at a node are determined by the element types associated with the node.
For more information:An ABAQUS/CAE display group is a collection of selected model components and can contain any combination of part instances, geometry (cells, faces, or edges), nodes, elements, and surfaces, or the default (entire) model. Display groups allow you to reduce clutter on your screen and focus on an area of interest within your model.
For more information:Display lists are used in ABAQUS/CAE to help you display repeated images faster. When an object is displayed repeatedly (for example, in an animation) the system must perform many computations to render each animation frame. If you enable the display list option, the results of these computations are stored in a display list the first time you display the animation. The next time you display the animation, ABAQUS/CAE refers to the display list instead of performing the calculations again; as a result, the animation is faster.
For more information:In ABAQUS/CAE an edge parameter represents a position along an edge, expressed as a fraction of its length. You can use an edge parameter to partition an edge and to position a datum along an edge. ABAQUS/CAE displays an arrow along the edge indicating the direction of increasing parameter value from the start vertex (corresponding to an edge parameter value of zero) to the end vertex (corresponding to a value of one).
For more information:Elysium is a plug-in product that can be used to generate an Elysium Neutral File with the following products:
Pro/ENGINEER
I-DEAS
You can import parts in Elysium Neutral File format; however, you cannot export parts in Elysium Neutral File format. For more information, see “Importing parts,” Section 10.7.2.
For more information:ABAQUS/CAE allows you to save images of selected viewports in EPS-format files. EPS is a variation of PostScript that describes a single graphic designed to be included in a larger document without modification. EPS files are identical to PostScript files except for some information that describes the size and positioning of the image. Most word processing and graphics applications support the inclusion of EPS files.
For more information:Each native part and assembly that you create using ABAQUS/CAE is composed of geometric features and the parameters that define each feature. ABAQUS/CAE retains the parameters that define each feature, such as size, location, and depth, and uses the information to regenerate a part or assembly if a feature is modified.
For more information:Field output is the output of variables that are written relatively infrequently to the output database. Typically, you request field output from your entire model or a large region of your model; ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit write every component of the variable to the output database at the selected frequency. In the ABAQUS/CAE Visualization module you can view field output in the form of a deformed, contour, or symbol plot, and you can produce a report of field output.
For more information:A fillet is a circular arc that joins two lines in a continous manner. Fillets of a specified radius are used in both sketches and parts in ABAQUS/CAE. When you are using the Sketch module, you can create a fillet between two lines meeting at an angle. When you are creating or modifying a three-dimensional solid part, you can fillet, or round, selected edges.
For more information:ABAQUS/CAE undeformed, deformed, contour, and symbol plots all display your model at a particular point in the analysis. The specific step and increment (or mode in the case of an eigenvalue analysis) at which you display the plot is called a frame. In addition, the term "frame" applies to a single plot in an animating series.
For more information:Unlike structured meshing, free meshing uses no preestablished mesh patterns. When you mesh a region using the structured meshing technique, you can predict the pattern of the mesh based on the region topology. In contrast, it is impossible to predict a free mesh pattern before creating the mesh.
Because it is unstructured, free meshing allows more flexibility than structured meshing. The boundaries of regions that you mesh with the free mesh technique can be very complex.
For more information:The frustum is the three-dimensional space visible in a viewport in movie camera mode; it is a truncated pyramid with its apex at the camera position. The frustum begins at the near plane (a plane parallel to the pyramid base but closer to the camera) and extends to the far plane (the pyramid base). The near plane and far plane positions are determined by the view options in ABAQUS/CAE.
For more information:The activity of a step-dependent object through the course of an analysis is called its history. For example, you might create a load in one step, modify it in the next step, and then deactivate it in a later step. In ABAQUS/CAE you can view the histories of step-dependent objects by displaying the appropriate step-dependent manager.
For more information:History output is the output of variables that are written relatively frequently to the output database—as often as every increment. You typically select history output for a small area of your model, such as a single integration point or a small region. You can use history output in the ABAQUS/CAE Visualization module to generate X–Y plots.
For more information:The Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) is a neutral data format designed for graphics exchange between computer-aided design (CAD) systems. You can import IGES-format parts, and you can export parts in IGES format. In addition, you can import and export a sketch from an IGES file.
For more information:An input file is an ASCII file that is read and processed by ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit. It contains keywords and data that define your model. When you submit a job for analysis using ABAQUS/CAE, it generates an input file based on the model you have defined. If necessary, you can modify the input file generated by ABAQUS/CAE using the Keywords Editor. In addition, you can import input files into ABAQUS/CAE; ABAQUS/CAE translates the options and data lines in the imported input file into a new ABAQUS/CAE model.
For more information:The parametric input capability in ABAQUS/Design allows the user to create an input file in which parameters are used in place of input quantities. The parameters are evaluated according to their definition and are substituted for the parametrized quantities before an analysis is performed by ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit. See also keyword parameter to learn how keyword parameters are used in an ABAQUS input file.
For more information:Use the ABAQUS/CAE Interaction module to define interactions between regions of a model or between a region of a model and its surroundings.
For more information:An interaction property is a collection of data that is necessary to completely define certain types of interactions in ABAQUS/CAE; you include the name of the interaction property of your choice in the interaction definition. You define interaction properties independent of any particular interaction.
For more information:All data definitions in ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit are accomplished with option blocks. Each option block is introduced by a keyword line that begins with a particular keyword (also known as an "option"). The keyword (or option) indicates the kind of information specified in the option block. For example, if you want to use a particular material in an analysis, you must add an option block beginning with the keyword *MATERIAL to the input file. Keywords are always preceded by an asterisk and appear in upper case in the ABAQUS documentation.
For more information:The first line of an option block in an ABAQUS input file is called the keyword line. Keyword lines begin with a particular keyword, followed, in some cases, by parameters associated with the keyword. For example, the keyword line of an option block describing a material might appear as *MATERIAL, NAME=name. In this case *MATERIAL is the keyword and NAME is a parameter that allows you to specify the name of the material being defined.
For more information:Keywords in an ABAQUS input file are often followed by parameters on the keyword line of an option block. Keyword parameters, which can be optional or required, provide additional information concerning the keyword. For example, the keyword *ELEMENT requires the keyword parameter TYPE to specify what type of element (such as solid, beam, or shell) is being defined. See also input parameter to learn how input parameters are used in ABAQUS/Design.
You interact with ABAQUS/CAE through the main window. The main window contains a menu bar, toolbar, prompt area, and a variety of other components that allow you to perform the tasks necessary for creating and analyzing a model and viewing analysis results. Certain aspects of the main window, such as the menu bar and the toolbar, can change as you work through the modeling process.
For more information:The term model data refers to the portion of an ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit input file that defines a finite element model: the elements, nodes, element properties, material definitions, and so on—any data that specify the model itself. Model data include all data in an ABAQUS input file that appear before the *STEP keyword.
For more information:ABAQUS/CAE uses model databases to store your models and analysis jobs. While you may have multiple model databases stored on your computer or network, ABAQUS/CAE can work on only one at any time. The model database in use is known as the current model database, and ABAQUS/CAE displays its name across the top of the main window.
For more information:In ABAQUS/CAE, modeling space refers to the space a part inhabits rather than to the topology of the part itself. Thus, you can create a part in three-dimensional modeling space that contains shells or wires, which are two-dimensional features. A part can inhabit three-dimensional, two-dimensional, or axisymmetric modeling space.
For more information:You create a native mesh using the ABAQUS/CAE Mesh module. You use the Mesh module to mesh native parts that you positioned in the assembly. A native mesh and its attributes are feature based, and a native mesh maintains its association with the original parts and with the assembly.
For more information:The word "option" has multiple meanings in ABAQUS. In some cases the word is used interchangeably with the word "keyword." In other cases it refers to choices presented to you by the ABAQUS/CAE graphical user interface.
For more information:ABAQUS input files are composed of option blocks. Each option block contains data concerning a particular option (or keyword) that describes part of the problem definition. An option block begins with a keyword line and is often followed by one or more data lines. The user chooses those options that are relevant for a particular application.
For more information:An orphan mesh is a collection of nodes, elements, surfaces, and sets with no associated geometry. In effect, the mesh information has been orphaned from its parent geometry. You can import a part into ABAQUS/CAE from an output database or from an input file in the form of an orphan mesh. You can also create an orphan mesh part from the meshed assembly in the Mesh module. An orphan mesh part appears in the model's list of parts; however, you cannot add geometric features to it. You can use the Edit Mesh toolset in the Part module to edit the mesh definition, and you can change the element type assigned to the mesh in the Mesh module.
For more information:Output database files (job_name.odb) contain the results from your analysis. You use the Visualization module to open an output database and to view a graphical representation of the contents. In addition, you can import a part from an output database in the form of an orphan mesh.
For more information:You create output requests to instruct ABAQUS to write data of interest to various output files, such as the data file (.dat), the output database (.odb), and the restart files. The variables that ABAQUS writes during a step, the rate at which they are written, the region of the model associated with the output, and the section points of interest define an output request.
For more information:In general, a parameter is a variable quantity that restricts or gives particular form to the thing that it characterizes. This term is used in ABAQUS/CAE to refer to modifiable parameters that define features (for example, the length of an extrusion). It is also used in the term "edge parameter" to describe a position along an edge, expressed as a fraction of its length. See also keyword parameter to learn how parameters are used in ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit, and see input parameter to learn how they are used in ABAQUS/Design.
For more information:Parasolid is a solid modeling system developed by Unigraphics and marketed by EDS. You can import Parasolid-format parts generated by Parasolid Version 7 through Version 13. You cannot export parts in Parasolid format. For more information, see “Importing parts,” Section 10.7.2.
For more information:An ABAQUS/CAE part instance can be thought of as a copy of the original part, except that an instance also maintains its association with the original part so that if you modify the part, the part instance is also modified at the same time. When you assemble your model, you work with part instances and not with the original parts.
For more information:PNG is an industry standard for storing bitmap images. The use of PNG files has been popularized by the World Wide Web, and PNG images are displayed by most popular web browsers running on a variety of operating systems. A PNG file consists of color information and a compressed bitmap representation of the image. ABAQUS/CAE allows you to save images of selected viewports in PNG-format files.
For more information:Preselection changes the appearance of objects on the screen to help you make the desired selections for a particular ABAQUS/CAE procedure. Two types of preselection are available:
Preselection highlighting appears in an ABAQUS/CAE viewport when you stop moving the cursor. Any objects that would be selected at the current cursor position are highlighted in orange.
Preselection symbols appear on an ABAQUS/CAE sketch as you move the cursor around to select a point, such as the center of a circle or the end of a line. Preselection symbols help you position the cursor and indicate a point on the sketch that can be selected, such as a vertex or a midpoint.
There are two cursors active within the ABAQUS/CAE Sketch module: the primary cursor and the secondary cursor. The primary cursor is the one you use with most applications on your computer, including ABAQUS/CAE. The primary cursor usually appears as an arrow pointer; you position this cursor by moving the mouse.
For more information:The printed output file (file extension .dat) contains information generated by the ABAQUS analysis input file preprocessor, including the model definition and any error or warning messages that were detected while processing the input data. In addition, the printed output file contains any printed output data written during the analysis.
For more information:When you select ToolsQuery from the main menu bar or use the 
tool in the toolbar, ABAQUS/CAE enters probe mode, as indicated in the prompt area. In this mode ABAQUS/CAE displays information as you move the cursor around the current viewport. Probing a model plot displays model data and analysis results; probing an X–Y plot displays X–Y curve data. You can write this information to a file.
The word procedure has two meanings in ABAQUS. When you use ABAQUS/CAE, many tasks that you perform are broken into step-by-step procedures. When you perform one of these procedures, ABAQUS/CAE displays instructions for each step at the appropriate time in the prompt area near the bottom of the main window.
In addition, the type of analysis to be performed during an analysis step is referred to as the analysis procedure. For each step in an analysis, you must specify the analysis procedure. Static stress, dynamic stress, eigenvalue buckling, and transient heat transfer are examples of analysis procedures.
For more information:PostScript is a page-description language developed by Adobe Systems that offers flexible font capability and high-quality graphics. The best-known page-description language, PostScript uses English-like commands to control page layout and to load and scale outline fonts. PostScript is used in many printers, either as the only print mode or as an alternative among several. ABAQUS/CAE allows you to print images of selected viewports directly to a PostScript printer or to save the same image in a PostScript-format file.
For more information:The Query toolset allows you to obtain information about your model. ABAQUS/CAE displays the requested information in the message area, and, in most cases, the same information is written to the replay file. Select ToolsQuery from the main menu bar to use the Query toolset, or select the query tool from the toolbar.
Radio buttons allow you to choose between mutually exclusive options in some ABAQUS/CAE dialog boxes. When a particular option is controlled by radio buttons, you can choose only one of the buttons at a time. For example, you can control the drag mode in the Graphics Options dialog box by clicking either the Fast or the As is radio button.
For more information:A recovery file is a file containing commands that ABAQUS/CAE can use to replicate the model database currently in memory, should it become lost due to a catastrophic interruption of your ABAQUS/CAE session such as a power outage. The recovery file contains only those commands that were executed since the last time the model database was saved; all remaining commands are saved in the journal file.
For more information:When you sketch a feature, ABAQUS/CAE first projects lines and vertices from any existing features onto the sketch plane. These projected lines and vertices are called reference geometry; you can select reference geometry to help position objects and to constrain the sketch to the underlying geometry.
For more information:The process of regeneration recalculates model geometry after a feature of an ABAQUS/CAE model has been modified; by default, ABAQUS/CAE automatically regenerates all dependent features if you modify a feature. For example, if you modify a feature of a part, ABAQUS/CAE regenerates the part, any instances of the part in the assembly, and the final mesh.
For more information:A region is any particular portion of an ABAQUS/CAE model. A region can be a vertex, edge, face, cell, node, element, or a collection of these entities. You can specify and name specific regions of a part or assembly by creating sets and surfaces that contain those regions. You can divide a part or an assembly into more regions by partitioning it.
For more information:In ABAQUS/CAE, resuming a suppressed feature fully restores it to the part or assembly. See also suppress.
For more information:In general, rigid body is one that is so much stiffer than the rest of the model that its deformation can be considered negligible. In ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit, a rigid body is a collection of rigid elements. See also analytical rigid part or discrete rigid part for information about rigid bodies in ABAQUS/CAE.
For more information:The rigid body reference point is a selected point that is used to define the motion of a rigid body (a rigid part in ABAQUS/CAE) or to apply constraints to a rigid body. The rigid body reference node is the node located at the rigid body reference point. When constraining the rigid body, you apply constraints to the degrees of freedom of the rigid body reference node.
For more information:A script is a type of program that consists of a set of instructions to an application. In ABAQUS/CAE almost every operation that you perform during a session can be duplicated by a script containing a set of ABAQUS/CAE commands. You can find examples of ABAQUS/CAE commands in the replay file (abaqus.rpy) that is written automatically during every ABAQUS/CAE session.
For more information:There are two cursors active within the ABAQUS/CAE Sketch module: the primary cursor and the secondary cursor. The secondary cursor looks like a plus sign (+) and appears near the primary cursor whenever the Sketch module prompts you to select a point. By default, if you move the primary cursor near a point that is eligible for selection, the secondary cursor jumps directly to the point while the primary cursor remains fixed; therefore, you can easily see exactly which point is selected before committing the selection.
For more information:A section definition is the data that specify the properties of regions in an ABAQUS/CAE assembly or in a set of elements in an ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit model. A section definition can contain information such as a material name, Poisson's ratio, transverse shear data, and various other parameters.
For more information:When you define shell or beam sections that are integrated during an analysis, you must specify the number of section integration points through the thickness of the section. A group of section points is located at each material integration point over the surface of a shell element or along the length of a beam element.
For more information:In ABAQUS/CAE, seeds are markers that you place along the edges of an unmeshed assembly to indicate the desired density of the mesh. By default, mesh seeds provide only a target mesh density; if necessary, the mesh generator alters the original seed distribution to successfully generate the mesh. You can prevent this redistribution by constraining seeds.
For more information:ABAQUS/CAE creates a session step to contain field output that you have created by either operating on existing field output variables or combining results from several analysis frames. The data contained in the session step are saved only until you end the ABAQUS/CAE session or close the output database from which the field output originates.
For more information:A set is a named region or collection of objects on which you can perform various operations. For example, you can assign section properties or apply a load to a set. See also node set, element set, geometry set and discrete set.
For more information:Shell sections define the section properties of shell regions. Shells model structures in which one dimension (the thickness) is significantly smaller than the other two dimensions and in which the stresses in the thickness direction are negligible. A homogeneous shell section includes the shell thickness, material name, section Poisson's ratio, and optional transverse shear data.
For more information:Solver usually refers to the linear equation solver in ABAQUS/Standard. (See equation solver.)
A spline is a curve defined by a mathematical function that connects separate points with a high degree of smoothness. Use the spline tool in the ABAQUS/CAE Sketch module to sketch a smooth curve that connects a series of points. ABAQUS/CAE calculates the shape of the curve using a cubic spline fit between all the points along the spline; as a result, the first and second derivatives of the spline are continuous.
For more information:The STandard for the Exchange of Product model data (STEP ISO 10303–1) is a replacement standard for IGES that attempts to overcome some of the shortcomings of IGES. The STEP format is designed to provide computer-interpretable representation of a product throughout its life cycle, independent of any particular system. You can import STEP format parts, and you can export parts in STEP-format. In addition, you can import and export a sketch from a STEP file. For more information, see “Importing parts,” Section 10.7.2; and “Exporting geometry and model data,” Section 10.9.
For more information:Within a model you define a sequence of one or more analysis steps. The step sequence provides a convenient way to capture changes in the loading and boundary conditions of the model, changes in the way parts of the model interact with each other, and any other changes that may occur in the model during the course of the analysis. In addition, steps allow you to change the analysis procedure, the data output, and various controls. You can also use steps to define linear perturbation analyses about nonlinear base states.
For more information:Step-dependent managers in ABAQUS/CAE contain a list of all of the objects of a certain type that you have created. They are similar to basic managers in that they contain Create, Edit, Copy, Rename, and Delete buttons that you can use to manipulate existing objects and to create new ones. However, unlike basic managers, step-dependent managers contain additional information concerning the history of each object listed in the manager. They also provide buttons that you can use, in some cases, to manipulate the history of each object.
For more information:Suppressing a feature temporarily deletes it from an ABAQUS/CAE model and can simplify the appearance of a part or assembly. In addition, suppressing a feature can increase the speed of regeneration. See also resume.
For more information:ABAQUS/CAE uses swept meshing to mesh complex extruded or revolved solid regions as well as revolved surface regions. The swept meshing technique involves two phases:
ABAQUS/CAE creates a mesh on one side of the region, known as the source side.
ABAQUS/CAE copies the nodes of that mesh, one element layer at a time, until the final side, known as the target side, is reached.
TIFF is a standard bitmap graphics file format commonly used for storage of graphic images. Depending on the display device, the TIFF format provides options to adjust both color and greyscale images and can encode very high-quality images. ABAQUS/CAE allows you to save images of selected viewports in TIFF-format files. ABAQUS/CAE does not compress the data stored in TIFF-format files, and, as a result, the files can consume large amounts of disk space.
For more information:A time history animation displays a series of plots that vary according to result values over time. See also scale factor animation.
For more information:If ABAQUS/CAE cannot mesh a solid region automatically using hexahedral elements, that region is considered unmeshable. Unmeshable regions become orange when you enter the Mesh module. An unmeshable region can be made meshable by partitioning or by assigning tetrahedral elements to the region.
For more information:The Visualization module provides graphical display of finite element models and results. It obtains model and result information from the output database (ODB). Major capabilities of the Visualization module include undeformed and deformed shape plotting, results contour and symbol plotting, X–Y plotting and reporting, field output reporting, plot customization, and animation.
The Visualization module is also licensed separately as ABAQUS/Viewer.
For more information: