To import a part from a STEP-format file:

From the main menu bar, select FileImportPart.

The Import Part dialog box appears.

From the File Filter menu at the bottom of the Import Part dialog box, select STEP (*.stp, *.step).

ABAQUS/CAE lists all the files in the selected directory with a .stp or .step file extension.

Select the STEP file containing the part to import, and click OK.

ABAQUS/CAE displays the Create Part from STEP File dialog box.

Click the Name-Repair tab to set the following:

Name

The name of the new part. For more information, see “Using basic dialog box components,” Section 3.2.1.

Repair Options

When you toggle on the Convert to precise representation option, ABAQUS/CAE tries to change neighboring entities so that their geometry matches exactly. Converting to a precise representation usually results in precise geometry; however, this operation can be lengthy and increases the complexity of the imported part, which means that processing of the part is slower. In most cases you should not select this option when importing a STEP-format file. For more information, see “What is a valid and precise part?,” Section 10.2.1.

Topology

ABAQUS/CAE selects the topology—solid, shell, or wire—based on the entities that it finds in the file. In most cases you should accept the setting selected by ABAQUS/CAE. However, if the topology of the resulting part is not as expected, you can try importing the part again with a different topology selected.

Part Filter

A STEP file can contain more than one part, and ABAQUS/CAE imports all of the parts in the file by default. Alternatively, you can toggle on Import part number and enter the number of a single part to import from the file.

Click the Part Attributes tab to set the following:

The modeling space of the part being imported. When you import a part, ABAQUS/CAE scans the file and tries to determine the modeling space.

The type of the part being imported. ABAQUS/CAE always assumes that the part type is deformable. Toggle on Discrete rigid to import a discrete rigid part. For more information, see “Part types,” Section 11.4.2.

Again, in most cases you should accept the default settings; for more information, see “What are the part attributes?,” Section 10.3.2.

Click the Scale tab to scale the part during the import process.

Choose No scale to maintain the dimensions stored in the file.

Choose Use transform from file, including scale to read the scale factor, the rotation matrix, and the translation matrix from the STEP file.

Choose Multiply all lengths by, and enter a scale factor. ABAQUS/CAE applies the scale factor to all of the coordinates in the file. As a consequence, any offset from the origin will be scaled accordingly.

Click OK to import the STEP part and to close the Create Part from STEP File dialog box.

ABAQUS/CAE scans the STEP file and starts the repair process, depending on the options selected. If you wish to cancel the import process, click Stop in the prompt area.

When you import a single part, ABAQUS/CAE displays a message in the message area indicating if the part contains any validity or precision problems. If you import multiple parts from a single STEP file, you can use the Part Manager to check if any of the parts are invalid or imprecise. If necessary, use the Query toolset to locate areas of invalid and imprecise geometry. For more information, see “Using the Query toolset in the Part module,” Section 11.16.4.