Exporting and Plotting History Data

If you request history output for your model (see Creating and Modifying History Output Requests), the requested data are saved in the output database (ODB) file. You can also select the history data for selected variables and steps and perform any of the following operations:

Write the data to a tab-separated file or to a text file.
Display the data in an X–Y plot in Microsoft Excel. By default, each variable you select is plotted against time, but you can create a variable versus variable plot to investigate the relationship between two variables in the analysis.

For Explicit Dynamics, General Static, and Riks steps, you can also create an energy plot in Microsoft Excel. An energy plot is a set of X–Y plots that display the data from four energy-related history output variables (ALLAE, ALLIE, ALLKE, and ETOTAL) in each solution step of the output database. Each variable is plotted in a separate X–Y plot; and if a variable is requested across steps, the plot displays blue triangles along the X-axis that indicate the beginning and end of each step.

Note: Abaqus for CATIA V5 displays history data plots and energy plots in Microsoft Excel, so you must have this software installed to use either of these integrated X–Y plotting features.

This task shows you how to export history data to a text file or plot history data.

Select an image object in the specification tree to make it active.
Click the Plot History Data icon in the Postprocessing toolbar.
The Plot History Data dialog box appears.
Select the desired history output variable data from the list. You can export or plot history data for multiple variables; in the Plot History Data dialog box, [Shift] + Click to select multiple consecutive rows or [Ctrl] + Click to select multiple non-consecutive rows.
By default, Abaqus for CATIA V5 exports or plots each variable you select against time. However, if you select two variables, you can export or plot the variables in the same plot. The first variable you select will be displayed along the X–axis; the second variable along the Y–axis.
Select the step or steps for which Abaqus for CATIA V5 will export or plot the selected data. You can export or plot history data for multiple steps; in the Plot History Data dialog box, [Shift] + Click to select multiple consecutive rows or [Ctrl] + Click to select multiple non-consecutive rows.
If you selected two rows of history data, toggle on Variable from the Output format options to export or plot the selected data against each other. You can alternatively select Time to plot both of these variables separately against time.
For simulations that include steady-state dynamic analysis, specify the Numeric type of the data that you want to include in the history plot. You can select Real or Imaginary components.
For history data export, enter or select the path to the file where the data will be saved.
Perform one of the following steps:
- For history data export, click Save to write the selected history data to the file.
  If the selected filename already exists, Abaqus for CATIA V5 asks whether you want to overwrite the existing file.
- For an X–Y plot, click Plot to display an X–Y plot for the selected variables in Microsoft Excel.

To create X–Y plots of all the energy quantities in an Explicit Dynamics, General Static, or Riks step, right-click the step in the specification tree and select Create Energy Plot from the list that appears. Abaqus for CATIA V5 launches Microsoft Excel and plots any of the principal energy-related output variables requested in the selected step for the whole model.