When you create a new model instance, the main assembly of the referenced model is instantiated in the assembly of the current working model. The instance produces a subassembly from the contents of the other model. Since the referenced model assembly may in turn contain other model instances as children, multiple levels of complex subassemblies are possible. The external model to be instantiated must be included in the current model database (.cae) file to be available. If the model you want to instantiate is contained in a different model database, use to import it into the current model database. A model database file can always contain multiple models. Characteristics of model instancesModel instances have the following characteristics:
Any part-level attributes that are needed in your subassembly (referenced) model must be created and assigned in that original model and cannot be created in the main model assembly. For example, materials, sections, orientations, and skin/stringer assignments must be created in the original model. Meshing can be performed on the original independent part instances, and the meshes will appear in the model instance. When you create a model instance, all of the part instances of the referenced model assembly are added to the main model assembly as child part instances. Any suppressed part instances or instances that are excluded from the simulation will retain the same status in the subassembly. If you modify or delete an existing part instance or model instance subassembly in the main model assembly, Abaqus/CAE automatically regenerates the child instances from all parent instances (parts and models) whenever you switch out of and back into the Assembly module of the main model. If you try to create a new model instance from another model that in turn contains child model instances, any problems with model referencing circularity will be prevented by Abaqus/CAE. Abaqus/CAE will prevent you from creating this kind of problematic instance. Abaqus/CAE ensures consistency of the modeling space for model instances—if all instances in the main model are three-dimensional, any other models to be instantiated must also be three-dimensional. Model instance data saved in input filesWhen Abaqus/CAE generates the input (.inp) file for a model assembly that contains model instances, a single flattened assembly is generated. All model instance subassemblies are written as a flat list of instances under the single assembly block. Most features from the original model of a model instance are saved in the input file, with some exceptions:
The following limitations exist:
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