Importing parts from an ACIS-format file

Many computer-aided modeling and drafting applications can read and write ACIS-format files; you can use these files to exchange geometry information between these applications and Abaqus/CAE. Select FileImportPart from the main menu bar to import a part from an ACIS-format file. You can import multiple parts stored in an ACIS-format file. You can export parts and the assembly from Abaqus/CAE into an ACIS-format file.

Related Topics
Editing techniques
Using file selection dialog boxes
What is an Abaqus/CAE model?
Using the File menu

Context:

You cannot import parts of mixed modeling space from an ACIS-format file; for example, solids and axisymmetric surfaces. In addition, you cannot import parts of mixed type; for example, deformable bodies and discrete rigid surfaces.

An imported ACIS part forms the base feature of a new part in Abaqus/CAE; you cannot modify this base feature directly, but you can add additional features to it, such as a solid extrusion or a blind cut.

  1. From the main menu bar, select FileImportPart.

    The Import Part dialog box appears.

  2. From the File Filter menu at the bottom of the Import Part dialog box, select ACIS SAT (*.sat*).

    Abaqus/CAE lists all the files in the selected directory with a .sat* file extension.

  3. Select the ACIS file containing the part or parts to import, and click OK.

    The Create Part from ACIS File dialog box appears.

  4. Click the Name-Repair tab to set the following:

    Name

    The name of the new part. For more information, see Using basic dialog box components.

    Part Filter

    An ACIS file can contain more than one part, and Abaqus/CAE imports all of the parts in the file by default. If you import all the parts in the ACIS file, you can create individual Abaqus parts for each of them or you can combine them together into a single Abaqus part.

    In addition, if you combine these parts, Abaqus/CAE enables you to control the following aspects of the geometry combination:

    • You can retain the intersecting boundaries between the imported parts, which enables you to eliminate invalid geometry.

    • You can stitch these imported parts together using a user-specified stitching tolerance value.

    If you want to import an individual part from the ACIS file, you can toggle on Import part number and enter the number of a single part to import from the file.

  5. Click the Part Attributes tab to set the following:

    • The modeling space of the part being imported. When you import a part, Abaqus/CAE scans the file and tries to determine the modeling space.

    • The type of the part being imported. Abaqus/CAE always assumes that the part type is deformable. Alternatively, you can select Discrete rigid to import a discrete rigid part or select Eulerian to import an Eulerian part. For more information, see Part types.

    Again, in most cases you should accept the default settings; for more information, see What are the part attributes?.

  6. Click the Scale tab to scale the part during the import process.

    • Choose No scale to maintain the dimensions stored in the file.

    • Choose Use transform from file, including scale to read the scale factor, the rotation matrix, and the translation matrix from the ACIS file.

    • Choose Multiply all lengths by, and enter a scale factor. Abaqus/CAE applies the scale factor to all of the coordinates in the file. As a consequence, any offset from the origin will be scaled accordingly.

  7. Click OK to import the ACIS part.

    Abaqus/CAE enters the Part module, the imported part replaces the contents of the current viewport, and the part appears in the model's list of parts in the context bar.

    When you import a single part, Abaqus/CAE displays a message in the message area indicating if the part contains any validity or precision problems. If you import multiple parts from a single ACIS file, you can use the Part Manager to check if any of the parts are invalid or imprecise. If necessary, use the Query toolset to locate areas of invalid and imprecise geometry. For more information, see Using the Query toolset in the Part module.