Importing simple xy data describing a part?

[rmettier]

Hi

I have a long-ish list of simple ascii x/y data, that describe the vertices of polygons. The points are already in the correct order to provide correct orientation etc. I need to import these polygons as model parts into abaqus cae.
I've looked at the various supported filetypes in the import menu, but they all seem far to cryptic to write them myself, and I don't know any of the tools that usually create these files.
I thought about directly writing the abaqus .inp file, but as the shapes aren't meshed yet (I was hoping to mesh them in abaqus cae) and the first block of the .inp seems to be mainly about the model elements, I'm a bit at a loss right now.

Is there some simple function I'm missing?

Thanks in advance
Ralph

 

[xerf]

You should write a Python/ABAQUS Scripting Interface program
to read the points from the text file, sketch the polygons and generate the parts.

 

[rmettier]

Wow, thanks. That's sounds like a very elegant solution. Can you maybe point me towards a starting point? I'm willing to learn, but currently, I have no experience whatsoever with Python or with scripting Abaqus?

 

[xerf]

Start with:
ABAQUS Scripting User's Manual

After reading the introductory chapters you might find useful the example from
->3.1 Creating a part

Best.

 

[rmettier]

Hmm, I don't seem to have anything similar to that.
My user manuals consist of 9 books:

Abaqus User Manual Volumes I - VI
Example Problem Manual
Key Reference Manuals Volumes I + II

Nowhere in the User Manuals Table of Contents or in the Examples Manual can i find anything about scripting.
Maybe we're not talking about the same version. I'm using 6.4

Is this example you refer to available online somewhere?

Sorry to waste your time with this, but I'm really a bit lost. I have meanwhile found a useful Python Primer, so that I can at least get to understand a bit of Python.

 

[xerf]

The volumes on ABAQUS Scripting Reference I think are available only in the electronic version of the documentation.

You can find the full electronic (html) documentation installed on some servers on internet. Use Google.

For example you can find:

http://lcadm.rrzn.uni-hannover.de:2080/

v6.4 is a bit obsolete.

 

[rmettier]

Ok, thanks. That was already quite a helpful step. That example script seems to be fairly close to what I need. There's two points I'm having trouble with though. In the script, a 3D part is created. My parts are all 2D. I've found the lines that need to be changed:

----------
myPart = myModel.Part(name='Part A', dimensionality=THREE_D,
type=DEFORMABLE_BODY)

myPart.BaseSolidExtrude(sketch=mySketch, depth=20.0)
----------

In the first, I tried to replace 'THREE_D' with 'TWO_D' but that wasn't recognized when I ran the script. I can't seem to find the keyword 'dimensionality' in any references, neither online nor offline, so I don't know what the correct syntax would be.
In the second line, I guess there must be a similar command to assign the sketch to the (now 2D) part definition. Again, I'm at a loss as to where to look for the correct syntax.

 

[brep]

TWO_D_PLANAR
or
AXISYMMETRIC

...would work a bit better. Check the docs for valid dimensionality constants.

That being said, is your model really 2d? Or are you just wanting to use shell elements on a 3d part?

 

[rmettier]

No, actual 2D parts. I'm trying to model a profile across a mountain range.

Thanks for the hint with TWO_D_PLANAR, that seems to have done the trick. I'm still having some trouble with the docs. My paper manuals are a bit out of date, and the online ones seems to either crash or hang my browser (sometimes they work, sometimes they don't).

But even if the online docs work, I'm still stumped as too where I should start looking for a command to assign the sketch to the 2D part. I've looked at the doc entry for BaseSolidExtrude, but it doesn't help much.