When you model a connector, you may need to specify the orientation of the connector. Orientations for a connector may be required, optional, or not applicable, depending upon the connection type. In most cases the orientation will not be the same as the global coordinate system, and you must create a datum coordinate system that defines the connector's local orientation before you create a connector section assignment. Connector orientation requirements are described in “Connection-type library,” Section 25.1.5 of the ABAQUS Analysis User's Manual.

You can create datum coordinate systems in the Part module, Property module, Assembly module, Interaction module, Load module, and Mesh module. You can name a datum coordinate system when you create it. When you create a connector section assignment, you can select a datum coordinate system from the current viewport or you can select from a list of coordinate system names in a dialog box. Again, the Model Tree is helpful for understanding the organization of your datum coordinate systems. Datum coordinate systems are described in “An overview of the methods for creating a datum coordinate system,” Section 40.5.4.