Working with invalid parts

If geometry errors prevent Abaqus/CAE from recreating a closed volume for a solid or shell part, the part is considered to be invalid. In most cases, parts are invalid because they were imported into Abaqus/CAE with errors. Parts may also change validity due to changes in the ACIS interpretation of the geometry between different releases of Abaqus/CAE. If you have invalid parts that are essential to an analysis and cannot be repaired, you can ignore the invalid part status. If a valid part becomes invalid during a database upgrade, you can ignore the invalid geometry without unlocking the part; this allows you to remesh the part if needed without regenerating it.

There are two methods that you can use to ignore the invalid status of a part:

  • Select an invalid part in the Part Manager, and click Ignore Invalidity.

  • Select an invalid part or an invalid independent part instance in the Model Tree, click mouse button 3, and select Ignore Invalidity.

When you choose to ignore the invalid status of a part or part instance, Abaqus/CAE displays a warning. The warning indicates that while ignoring the invalidity of the part allows you to perform all geometry and meshing functions, ignoring the invalidity may cause some part functions to fail or lead to other undesirable behavior. If you accept this warning, Abaqus/CAE changes the part status to Invalid (ignored). The part status is displayed in the Part Manager and in the Model Tree. Table 1 shows the icons and text used to indicate the status of invalid parts.

Table 1. Part status in the Model Tree and the Part Manager.
Model Tree symbol Part Manager text Meaning
  Invalid An unlocked invalid part.
  Invalid (ignored) An unlocked invalid part with the invalid status ignored.
  Locked, Invalid A locked invalid part.
  Locked, Invalid (ignored) A locked invalid part with the invalid status ignored.

Regardless of whether you are trying to repair the geometry or working with the invalid status ignored, Abaqus/CAE does not always recompute the validity of parts as you make changes. Recomputing the validity, especially for complex parts, can take a substantial amount of time. To recompute and update the validity of a part, select Update Validity in the Part Manager or in the menu that appears when you click mouse button 3 on an invalid part or part instance in the Model Tree. You can also use the Geometry diagnostics query to update validity. (For more information on geometry diagnostics, see Using the geometry diagnostic tools.)