3.5.1 File extensions used by ABAQUS

Products: ABAQUS/Standard  ABAQUS/Explicit  

Reference

Overview

The abaqus procedure generates several files. Some of these files exist only while ABAQUS is executing and are deleted when a run completes. Other files contain analysis, postprocessing, and translation results and are retained for use by other analysis options, restarting, or postprocessing. This section describes the files that are created by ABAQUS.

Certain file extensions used by ABAQUS are also used by other software applications. You must handle any file extension conflicts with other applications.

File extensions

abq

State file, only used by ABAQUS/Explicit. It is written by the analysis, continue, and recover options. It is read by the convert and recover options. This file is required for restart.

axi

Symmetric model data file, only used by ABAQUS/Standard. It is written during symmetric model generation by the datacheck and analysis options.

bsp

Text file containing beam cross-section properties for meshed section profiles. It is written by ABAQUS/Standard during meshed beam cross-section generation.

cid

Auto-release file, which contains information needed for license recovery and suspension.

com

Command file, created by the ABAQUS execution procedure.

dat

Printed output file. It is written by the analysis, datacheck, parametercheck, and continue options. ABAQUS/Explicit does not write analysis results to this file.

eig

Lanczos eigenvector file. This is a temporary scratch file that is used to store the eigenvectors calculated by the Lanczos eigensolver during the solution procedure.

f

User subroutine or other special-purpose FORTRAN file.

fct, uft

Sparse solver factor files. These temporary scratch files are used by the sparse solver in ABAQUS/Standard. The uft file is created only when the unsymmetric solver is used.

fil

Results file. It is written by the analysis and continue options in ABAQUS/Standard and by the convert=select and convert=all options in ABAQUS/Explicit.

fin

Results file created when changing the format of the .fil file using the abaqus ascfil command. It can be in either ASCII or binary format. (See Execution procedure for ASCII translation of results (.fil) files, Section 3.2.9.) The ASCII format is convenient for data transfer between machines that do not have compatible binary data formats.

hdx

AMS eigenvector file. This file is used to store the eigenvectors calculated by the AMS eigensolver during the solution procedure. This file is required for restart.

inp

Analysis input file. It is read when the analysis, datacheck, and parametercheck options are selected.

ipm

Interprocess message file. It is written when an analysis is run from ABAQUS/CAE, and it contains a log of all messages sent from ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit to ABAQUS/CAE.

lck

Lock file for the output database. This file is written whenever an output database file is opened with write access; it prevents you from having simultaneous write permission to the output database from multiple sources. It is deleted automatically when the output database file is closed or when the analysis that creates it ends. The ask_delete environment file parameter setting will not affect the lock file.

lnz

Lanczos vector file. This is a temporary scratch file that is used to store the Lanczos vectors and weighted Lanczos vectors.

log

Log file, which contains start and end times for modules run by the current ABAQUS execution procedure.

mdl

Model file. It is written by the datacheck option in ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit. It is read and can be written by the analysis and continue options in ABAQUS/Standard. It is read by the analysis and continue options in ABAQUS/Explicit. Multiple model files may exist if the element operations are executed in parallel in an ABAQUS/Standard analysis. In such a case a process identifier is attached to the file name. This file is required for restart.

msg

Message file. It is written by the analysis, datacheck, and continue options in ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit. Multiple message files may exist if the element operations are executed in parallel in an ABAQUS/Standard analysis. In such a case a process identifier is attached to the file name.

nck

Nickname file used by ABAQUS/Standard. It stores a set of internal identifiers for the degrees of freedom in a model.

odb

Output database. It is written by the analysis and continue options in ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit. It is read by the Visualization module in ABAQUS/CAE (ABAQUS/Viewer) and by the convert=odb option. This file is required for restart.

opr

Sparse solver operator file, which is a temporary scratch file used by the sparse solver in ABAQUS/Standard.

pac

Package file, which contains model information and is used by ABAQUS/Explicit only. It is written by the analysis and datacheck options. It is read by the analysis, continue, and recover options. This file is required for restart.

par

Modified version of original parametrized input file showing input parameters and their values.

pes

Modified version of original parametrized input file showing input free of parameter information (after input parameter evaluation and substitution has been performed).

pmg

Parameter evaluation and substitution message file. It is written when the input file is parametrized.

prt

Part file. This file is used to store part and assembly information and is created even if the input file does not contain an assembly definition. The part file is required for restart, import, sequentially coupled thermal-stress analysis, symmetric model generation, and underwater shock analysis, even if the model is not defined in terms of an assembly of part instances. This file may also be needed for submodeling analysis.

psf

Python scripting file. You must create this type of file to define a parametric study.

res

Restart file, which contains information necessary to continue a previous analysis. The restart file is written by the analysis, datacheck, and continue options. It is read by any restarted analysis.

scr

Lanczos scratch file. This is a temporary scratch file that is used to hold temporary information required by the Lanczos solver.

sct

Perturbation results scratch file. This file temporarily holds element results needed for output in ABAQUS/Standard perturbation steps.

sdb

Sparse solver database file. This is a temporary file that is used by the sparse solver.

sel

Selected results file, used by ABAQUS/Explicit. It is written by the analysis, continue, and recover options and is read by the convert=select option. This file is required for restart.

sol

Sparse solver file used to store the solution vectors for a problem. This file is a temporary file used by the sparse solver in ABAQUS/Standard.

sst

Sparse solver scratch file. This temporary scratch file is used by the sparse solver in ABAQUS/Standard.

sta

Status file. ABAQUS writes increment summaries to this file in the analysis, continue, and recover options.

stt

State file. It is written by the datacheck option in ABAQUS/Standard and ABAQUS/Explicit. It is read and can be written by the analysis and continue options in ABAQUS/Standard. It is read by the analysis and continue options in ABAQUS/Explicit. Multiple state files may exist if the element operations are executed in parallel in an ABAQUS/Standard analysis. In such a case a process identifier is attached to the file name. This file is required for restart.

sup

Substructure file, used by ABAQUS/Standard.

var

File containing information about the input file variations generated by a parametric study.

023

Communications file. It is written by the analysis and datacheck options and is read by the analysis and continue options.