Writing Input Files Only

The Abaqus input file contains all the data that describe your model and analysis. It is composed of a number of option blocks that begin with a keyword line, usually followed by one or more data lines. For detailed descriptions of each Abaqus keyword option, see the Abaqus Keywords Guide.

An input file is generated automatically when you submit an analysis case for solution. However, you can choose to write an input file for your model without submitting the job to the Abaqus solver. This enables you to submit the analysis independent of your CATIA V5 session, for example, you can submit the analysis on a separate compute server.

The input file is written in ASCII format and can be viewed and edited using a text editor. If you are familiar with Abaqus/Standard keywords, you can check the input file for errors and check that the keywords, parameters, and data were generated as expected. You can also modify the contents of the input file. For example, you can change a material property or the magnitude of a load.

Warning:  If you edit the input file for a model using a text editor and then submit a job for that model in Abaqus for CATIA V5, your changes to the input file will be lost. Instead, you must submit the modified input file directly for analysis by creating a new job and selecting From input file as the job Source.

Abaqus requires all numerical quantities in an analysis to be in a self-consistent system of units, which means that derived units of the chosen system can be expressed in terms of the fundamental units without conversion factors. By default, Abaqus for CATIA V5 writes input files using the International System of units (SI); the fundamental units in this system are length in meters (m), mass in kilograms (kg), time in seconds (s), and temperature in degrees kelvin (K). You can write input files using a different set of units by changing the Abaqus Solver Units located with the Analysis & Simulation options (for more information, see Configuring an Abaqus Analysis).

This task shows you how to write an Abaqus input file for an analysis case.

  1. Click the Job Manager icon .

    The Job Manager dialog box appears with a list of the jobs that you have created.

  2. Select one or more jobs from the list in the Job Manager, and click Write Input.

    Tip:  You can also write an input file for a job by right-clicking on the Job objects set in the specification tree and selecting Write Input from the menu that appears.

    Abaqus writes the input files for multiple jobs in the order that they are listed in the Job Manager. If you write input for a single job and Run model consistency check is toggled on in the job editor, a Write Input File dialog box appears with the results of the consistency checks described in Checking Your Model. Messages from the input file writer are listed on the Write Input File Messages tabbed page, and Abaqus for CATIA V5 shows a consistency check error at the top of the list of errors in the Consistency Check Messages tabbed window if one or more input file writing errors occur. This consistency check error does not appear if the input file writing generates only warnings, and only one consistency check error is displayed even if multiple input file writing errors are displayed in the Write Input File Messages tabbed window. The Job Submission dialog box shows the Write Input File Messages tabbed window by default if an input file writing error occurs.

  3. Click Close to close the Write Input File dialog box.

    A dialog box appears telling you that the input file has been written successfully, and the input file job name.inp is written to the specified computation directory for the job (see Specifying File Storage Directories). Click OK to close the dialog box.