Introduction to Abaqus

Overview of the Abaqus Finite Element System

The Abaqus finite element system includes:

Abaqus/Standard, a general-purpose finite element program
Abaqus/Explicit, an explicit dynamics finite element program

Several add-on options are available to further extend the capabilities of Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit. The Abaqus/Aqua option works with Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit. The Abaqus/Design and Abaqus/AMS options work with Abaqus/Standard. Abaqus/Aqua contains optional features that are specifically designed for the analysis of beam-like structures installed underwater and subject to loading by water currents and wave action. The Abaqus/Design option enables you to perform design sensitivity analysis (DSA). Abaqus/AMS is an optional eigensolver that works within Abaqus/Standard providing very fast solution of large symmetric eigenvalue problems. The Abaqus co-simulation technique provides several applications, available as separate add-on capabilities, for coupling between Abaqus and third-party analysis programs. Abaqus/Foundation is an optional subset of Abaqus/Standard that provides more cost-efficient access to the linear static and dynamic analysis functionality in Abaqus/Standard. These options are available only if your license includes them.

Abaqus Products

Analysis

Abaqus/Standard: This general-purpose analysis product can solve a wide range of linear and nonlinear problems involving the static, dynamic, thermal, electrical, and electromagnetic response of components. Abaqus/Standard includes all analysis capabilities except those provided in the Abaqus/Explicit program and the add-on analysis functionality described below.
Abaqus/Explicit: This product provides nonlinear, transient, dynamic analysis of solids and structures using explicit time integration. Its powerful contact capabilities, reliability, and computational efficiency on large models also make it highly effective for quasi-static applications involving discontinuous nonlinear behavior.

Add-on Analysis

Abaqus/AMS: This add-on analysis capability for Abaqus/Standard allows the user to select the automatic multi-level substructuring (AMS) eigensolver when performing a natural frequency extraction.
Abaqus/Aqua: This add-on analysis capability for Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit provides a capability for calculating drag and buoyancy loads based on steady current, wave, and wind effects for modeling offshore piping and floating platform structures. Abaqus/Aqua is applicable for structures that can be idealized using line elements, including beam, pipe, and truss elements.
Abaqus/Design: This add-on analysis capability for Abaqus/Standard allows the user to perform design sensitivity analysis (DSA). The derivatives of output variables are calculated with respect to specified design parameters.
Abaqus/Foundation: This analysis option offers more efficient access to the linear static and dynamic analysis functionality in Abaqus/Standard.
CZone for Abaqus: This add-on capability for Abaqus/Explicit provides access to a state-of-the-art methodology for crush simulation based on CZone technology from Engenuity, Ltd. Targeted toward the design of composite components and assemblies, CZone for Abaqus provides for inclusion of material crush behavior in simulations of composite structures subjected to impact. This functionality requires an additional license.

Optional Analysis Functionality

Co-simulation with MpCCI: This add-on analysis capability for Abaqus can be used to solve multiphysics problems by coupling Abaqus with any third-party analysis program that supports the MpCCI interface.

Translator Utilities

Abaqus translators are provided with the release. They are invoked through the Abaqus execution procedure.

Other Utilities

Additional programs are included with the release. They are all invoked through the Abaqus execution procedure.

Documentation

Abaqus documentation is available in several locations.

You can install the HTML documentation locally (on a server at your site). An improved search capability using Exalead CloudView is available. See the SIMULIA Installation Guide for more information.
A user assistance portal is available at that uses EXALEAD-based search; supports viewing in Chrome and Firefox; and offers the ability to refine your search results (for example, to a specific guide).
You can download PDF versions of the Abaqus guides. The PDF files for the guides are available in the Dassault Systèmes Knowledge Base, which is accessible from .
You can search for the following phrase and set the source to Question & Answer to display results:
Abaqus release Guide
For example, Abaqus 2021 Guide

Overview of Abaqus Guides

The Abaqus guides provide a reference to using Abaqus/Standard (including Abaqus/Aqua, Abaqus/Design, and Abaqus/Foundation) and Abaqus/Explicit (including Abaqus/Aqua). Abaqus/Standard solves a system of equations implicitly at each solution “increment.” In contrast, Abaqus/Explicit marches a solution forward through time in small time increments without solving a coupled system of equations at each increment (or even forming a global stiffness matrix).

Throughout the guides the term Abaqus is most commonly used to refer to both Abaqus/Standard and Abaqus/Explicit; the individual product names are used to indicate when information applies to only that product. Product identifiers appear at the beginning of sections in many guides indicating the products to which the information in the section applies.

Demonstrating Abaqus Capabilities

Many analyses that demonstrate the numerous capabilities of Abaqus are discussed in the Abaqus Example Problems Guide, the Abaqus Benchmarks Guide, and the Abaqus Verification Guide. These examples can help you become familiar with the functionality that Abaqus provides and the structure of the Abaqus input file. For example, Beam impact on cylinder discusses the various modeling techniques that can be used to analyze the dynamic response of a cantilever beam.