You can partition selected faces with a line or curve that forms the shortest possible path between two selected points. The points can be vertices, midpoints, arc-centers, or datum points. The path will be curved if a face being partitioned is not planar, as shown in the following figure:
To partition faces using the shortest path method:
From the main menu bar, select Tools
Partition.
The Create Partition dialog box appears. ABAQUS/CAE displays prompts in the prompt area to guide you through the procedure.
Tip:
You can also use the shortest path method to partition faces using the 
tool, located with the partition face tools in the module toolbox. For a diagram of the partition tools in the toolbox, see “Using the Partition toolset,” Section 44.2.
From the Type radio buttons at the top of the dialog box, choose Face.
The Method list displays the methods that you can use to partition a face.
From the list of methods, select Shortest path between 2 points and click Apply.
If the part or assembly contains more than one face, select the faces to partition. You can use a combination of drag select, [Shift]+Click, [Ctrl]+Click, and the angle method to select more than one face to partition. For more information, see “Selecting objects within the current viewport,” Section 6.2.
Tip:
If you are unable to select the desired faces, you can change the selection behavior by clicking the selection options tool 
in the prompt area. For more information, see “Using the selection options,” Section 6.3.
ABAQUS/CAE highlights the selected faces.
Select the vertices, midpoints, arc-centers, or datum points defining the start and end of the path.
ABAQUS/CAE highlights the points.
In the prompt area, click Create Partition.
ABAQUS/CAE creates the partition.
