Exporting a sketch to an ACIS-, IGES-, or STEP-format file

Select FileExportSketch from the main menu bar to export the current sketch to an ACIS, IGES, or STEP file. Many computer-aided modeling and drafting applications can read and write ACIS, IGES, and STEP files; therefore, you can transfer sketches between Abaqus/CAE and these applications.

Related Topics
Using file selection dialog boxes
What is an Abaqus/CAE model?
Using the File menu
What kinds of files can be imported and exported from Abaqus/CAE?

Context:

After you save a sketch in the Sketcher, you can export the sketch at any time during an Abaqus/CAE session

  1. From the main menu bar, select FileExportSketch.

    The Export Sketch dialog box appears.

  2. From the File Filter menu at the bottom of the Export Sketch dialog box, select one of the following:

    • ACIS SAT (*.sat)

    • IGES (*.igs)

    • STEP (*.stp)

    Abaqus/CAE lists all the files in the selected directory with the appropriate file extension.

  3. Select the file to which you want to export the sketch, or type the name of a new file in the File Name text field.

  4. From the Export Sketch dialog box, click OK.

    Abaqus/CAE closes the dialog box and displays the Select Sketch dialog box with a list of all the saved sketches.

  5. From the Select Sketch dialog box, select the sketch to export and click OK.

  6. If you are exporting a sketch to an IGES file, Abaqus/CAE displays the IGES Flavors dialog box. Do the following:

    1. Choose one of the following flavors with which to write the IGES file:

      • Standard

      • AutoCAD

      • Solid Works

      • JAMA

    2. Click OK.

    Abaqus/CAE tailors the internal representation of the IGES file to match the format expected by the selected application. By default, Abaqus/CAE exports a sketch in a Standard format. Abaqus/CAE writes all of the geometry data to a single layer in the IGES file. The IGES file contains geometry data only, Abaqus/CAE does not export construction lines and dimensions from the sketch.