11.1 Understanding the role of the Part module

There are several ways to create a part in ABAQUS/CAE:

Create the part using the tools available in the Part module.
Import the part from a file containing geometry stored in a third-party format.
Import the part mesh from an output database.
Import a meshed part from an ABAQUS/Standard or ABAQUS/Explicit input file.
Merge or cut part instances in the Assembly module.
Create a meshed part in the Mesh module.

A part created using the Part module tools is called a native part and has a feature-based representation. A feature captures your design intent and contains geometry information as well as a set of rules that govern the behavior of the geometry. For example, a circular through cut is a feature, and ABAQUS/CAE stores the diameter of the cut along with the information that it should pass all the way through the part. If you increase the size of the part, ABAQUS/CAE recognizes that the depth of the cut should increase so that it continues to pass through the part.

You use the Part module to create, edit, and manage the parts in the current model. ABAQUS/CAE stores each part in the form of an ordered list of features. The parameters that define each feature—extruded depth, hole diameter, sweep path, etc.—combine to define the geometry of the part.

The Part module allows you to do the following:

Create deformable, discrete rigid, or analytical rigid parts. The part tools also allow you to edit and manipulate the existing parts defined in the current model.
Create the features—solids, shells, wires, cuts, and rounds—that define the geometry of the part.
Use the Feature Manipulation toolset to edit, delete, suppress, resume, and regenerate a part's features.
Assign the reference point to a rigid part.
Use the Sketcher to create, edit, and manage the two-dimensional sketches that form the profile of a part's features. These profiles can be extruded, revolved, or swept to create part geometry; or they can be used directly to form a planar or axisymmetric part.
Use the Set toolset, the Partition toolset, and the Datum toolset. These toolsets operate on the part in the current viewport and allow you to create sets, partitions, and datum geometry, respectively.