Using Automatic Associative Export and Import

You can use automatic associative export and import to transfer design changes from the Assembly Design app and the Part Design app to Abaqus/CAE without losing any analysis features that you defined in Abaqus/CAE.

See Also
Automatic and Manual Associative Export and Import
Configuring the Associative Export Options
  1. Start Abaqus/CAE, and enter the Assembly module.
  2. From the main menu bar, select Tools > CAD Interfaces > CATIA V6.
  3. From the CATIA V6 dialog box that appears, choose Auto-assign port and click Enable.
    Abaqus/CAE displays the port number that it assigned in the message area. (If desired, you can click Specify port and enter the port number.)
  4. From the Assembly Design app or the Part Design app, load the model to be exported.
  5. From the top bar, select Share > Export > Associative Export > Export to Abaqus/CAE.

    The model appears in the current Abaqus/CAE viewport. If an assembly is open in the app, the parts are imported into Abaqus/CAE and an assembly of part instances is created automatically. If a single part is open in the app, only the part is imported into Abaqus/CAE. You can use the parts and the assembly in an Abaqus/CAE analysis; for example, you can apply sections to the parts, and you can apply loads and boundary conditions to the assembly.

  6. If you modify the model in the app, select Export to Abaqus/CAE to update the model in Abaqus/CAE.

    The modified model is imported into Abaqus/CAE using the settings previously specified in the Export to Abaqus/CAE dialog box. Abaqus/CAE imports only the modified parts. Any changes that you make to the position of parts in the CATIA assembly will also be exported to Abaqus/CAE. Any components that you deactivate or activate in CATIA are suppressed or resumed similarly in Abaqus/CAE. If you hide a component in CATIA, the visibility of that part instance in Abaqus/CAE is turned off; use the Assembly Display Options in Abaqus/CAE to control the visibility of part instances (for more information, see “Controlling instance visibility,” in the Abaqus/CAE User’s Guide).

    Features (such as loads and sets) and geometric modifications that you created in Abaqus/CAE are updated to account for the changes to the CATIA parts. Abaqus/CAE will be unable to regenerate some features if the topology of the part has changed significantly.

  7. From the Abaqus/CAE main menu bar, select Tools > CAD Interfaces > CATIA V6 to show the port number that is being used or to disable the connection with CATIA. For more information, see “Creating a CAD connection,” in the Abaqus/CAE User’s Manual.