Demonstration 1

A First Look at ABAQUS

Note to instructors
You must submit the model in Demos/indentfoam_std_visco_2.inp for
analysis prior to performing this demonstration. The output database file created by this
job will also be used in Demonstration 12.

Introduction
This demonstration illustrates the graphical user interface (GUI) of ABAQUS/CAE. We
consider the following aspects of ABAQUS/CAE:
Overview of the main window
Modularity
Canvas and viewports
Pull-down menus and toolset icons
Module-Model-Part lists
Getting help

Overview of the main window

You interact with ABAQUS/CAE through the main window. The appearance of the
window changes as you work through the modeling process. The components that appear
in the main window after you first start ABAQUS/CAE are shown in Figure D11. A
brief description of each component follows:
Title bar: Indicates which version of ABAQUS/CAE you are running.
Menu bar: Gives access to all the functionality in the product.
Toolbar: Provides a convenient set of tools for managing files and viewing
models.
Context bar: Allows you to move between modules and to select modulespecific items.
Toolbox area: Allows quick access to many of the module functions.
Viewport: The window in which your model is displayed.
Prompt area: Displays instructions for you to follow during a procedure.
Message area: Status information and warnings are printed in this area; can
enter Python commands in this area to execute scripts.
Canvas: Infinite screen on which items such as viewports are posted.

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Figure D11. Components of the main window

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Modularity
ABAQUS/CAE is divided into modules that are listed in an intuitive sequence. To
illustrate this aspect of ABAQUS/CAE, do the following:
1. Click the inverted triangle next to the blank Module pull-down menu to see a
listing of available modules. Note that the listing follows a typical sequence in
creating a finite element model.
2. Switch to the Part module. Move the mouse over the toolset icons, and note that a
small box containing a description of the toolor tooltipappears if the cursor
is held momentarily over a given tool. This is typical of a GUI.
3. Note the menu bar on top. Switch to another module, and note how the menu bar
changes appropriately for each of the two modules. Each menu has a limited
number of options, thus promoting ease of use.
Open the output database file indentfoam_std_visco_2.odb in ABAQUS/CAE.
Opening the database using FileOpen is a typical GUI action.

Canvas and viewports

The largest area in the ABAQUS/CAE window contains the area called the canvas. This
area may contain one or more viewports, which are the windows in which
ABAQUS/CAE displays your model. Each ABAQUS/CAE session has only one canvas,
but the canvas may contain many viewports. To illustrate this concept, do the following:
1. Switch to the Visualization module.
4. Maximize the ABAQUS/CAE window, and reposition the current viewport to the
left-hand side of the canvas.
5. Create a new viewport in the upper right-hand side of the canvas. Display a
deformed shape plot of the model in this viewport.
6. Make the left viewport current, and display a contour plot of Mises stress.
7. Create a third viewport in the lower right-hand side of the canvas. Display an XY
plot of the stress invariant MISES for element 1 in the model. Resize each of the
viewports as necessary.

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Your ABAQUS/CAE window should look similar to Figure D12.

Figure D12. The ABAQUS/CAE window showing multiple viewports

To delete a viewport, do the following:
1. Select the viewport you wish to delete by clicking on its title bar.
8. Select CanvasDelete from the menu bar.

Pull-down menus and toolset icons

Either selecting a pull-down menu or clicking a toolset icon can execute most actions in
ABAQUS/CAE. To illustrate this feature, do the following:
1. Make the viewport with the deformed shape current, and select
PlotUndeformed Shape. The plot changes, and the Plot Undeformed
Shape icon is highlighted.
9. The icons in the toolbox are shortcuts to frequent actions of the menu bar. The
menu bar is able to perform all the functions of the toolbox icons, but not vice

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versa. Select the Plot Deformed Shape icon to display the deformed shape of
the model in the current viewport.

Module-Model-Part lists
ABAQUS/CAE permits the user to switch between Modules, Models, and Parts using
pull-down lists. To illustrate this point, copy Demos/lists.cae to your local
directory and open it in ABAQUS/CAE.
1. Switch to the Part module, and maximize the current viewport.
10. Make Model-1 the current model by selecting it from the Model pull-down list.
11. Within Model-1 set the current part to Cube using the Part pull-down list; later,
change the current part to Cylinder.
12. Make Model-2 the current model, and display the part Wedge.
The actions above demonstrate how you can switch between parts and between models in
an ABAQUS/CAE session. Each model database (the file with a .cae extension) can
have multiple models, and each model can have multiple parts.

Getting help
The ABAQUS/CAE online documentation is available through the Help menu on the
menu bar. You can also use the help tool in the toolbar to display detailed help on any
icon, menu, folder, or dialog box that you use in ABAQUS/CAE. Clicking the help tool
and then clicking an item in the ABAQUS/CAE window opens a help window containing
the relevant section from the online documentation.