Recreating an unsaved model database

When you start a new session and make changes to your model, Abaqus/CAE records those changes to a model database recovery file (abaqusn.rec). If you subsequently save the model database, Abaqus/CAE appends the commands in the recovery file to the journal file for that model database (model_database_name.jnl) and deletes the recovery file. If you make further changes to your model, Abaqus/CAE creates a new recovery file (model_database_name.rec) to record the changes since your last save. Upon your next save, the commands in the recovery file are appended to the journal file and the recovery file is deleted. The journal file contains all the commands necessary to rebuild the entire model database. For example, Table 1 shows the changes that Abaqus/CAE makes to the model database, recovery, and journal files for a model named engine.

Table 1. Modeling changes and their effect on the model database, recovery, and journal files.
User action Abaqus/CAE action Files
Start Abaqus/CAE session None None
Make model changes Record commands in recover file abaqus1.rec
Save the model database Create model database fileCopy recover commands to journal fileDelete recover file engine.caeengine.jnl
Make more changes to the model Record commands in recover file engine.recengine.cae (out of date)engine.jnl (out of date)
Save model database Update model database fileAppend recover commands to journal fileDelete recover file engine.cae (updated)engine.jnl (updated)

If your Abaqus/CAE session aborts unexpectedly—for example, because of a power loss to your computer—the recovery file will still be available to Abaqus/CAE for your next session. Abaqus/CAE first checks for the presence of a recovery file of the form abaqusn.rec; if such a file exists, it may be from a previous session that aborted unexpectedly, or it may be from another Abaqus/CAE session that you started in the same directory. Because Abaqus/CAE cannot tell the difference between these two cases and cannot determine automatically whether you want to implement the changes, Abaqus/CAE prompts you with three options: recover the changes and delete the recovery file, do not recover changes and delete the recovery file, or disregard the recovery file because its changes belong to another Abaqus/CAE session. When you recover changes, you can skip the last command in the recovery file if you think the last command you issued caused the termination of the session.

If a recovery file belongs to a model database (model_database_name.rec), Abaqus/CAE will not detect the recovery file until you attempt to open that model database. Upon your attempt to open the model database, Abaqus/CAE prompts you to recover or disregard the changes. If you recover the changes, Abaqus/CAE appends the changes in the database recovery file to the journal file and deletes the database recovery file; if you choose to disregard the changes, Abaqus/CAE deletes the recovery file and does not implement any of the model changes described in the file.