Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (2024)

Some time ago we posted a blog on How to submit and monitor Abaqus jobs through command window. I would now like to revisit this subject, go into a few additional commands and options,including different Abaqus versions and the findkeyword and fetch utilities, and look in a bit more detail to the abaqus commands

The basics: opening Abaqus/CAE

Let’s start with the basics. The simplest task to do from the command line in windows, is simply opening Abaqus/CAE. To do this, first open a command window. This can be done by searching for ‘cmd’ in windows (Figure 1) or selecting ‘command prompt’ from the list of programs (Figure 2).

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (1)

Figure 1: Opening a command window by searching for cmd in windows

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (2)

Figure 2: Opening the command line interface by selecting Command Prompt

In the black screen that appears, commands can be entered. They are then executed in the current directory, which is shown on the line (Figure 3). In this case, we will enter abaqus cae as command and press ‘enter’. We then get the feedback that licenses are checked out, and Abaqus/CAE is started.

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (3)

Figure 3: Starting Abaqus/CAE from the command line

Starting Abaqus/CAE from a different directory

So why would we go through the hassle of starting up Abaqus from the command line, if we can open Abaqus/CAE directly from Windows with less clicks/keyboard entries?

One of the things that I like about this approach, is that the Abaqus work directory (the location where all job files are stored) matches the directory from which Abaqus is started. In the above example, the current directory of the command line interface is my home directory. This can be changed to the folder that you want to use as work directory using the cd command (change directory). It isn’t possible to paste using CTRL+V, but right-clicking does give a paste option and pressing tab gives automatic continuation; pressing it multiple times shows multiple options. However, I usually find it easier to shift right-click on or in the I want to use as work directory and select ‘Open command window here’ (Figure 4).

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (4)

Figure 4: Open command window in selected folder

Typing in abaqus cae now, will result in Abaqus opening with the current directory as work directory.

Opening a different Abaqus version

I have different versions of Abaqus on my system, and sometimes I want to use a specific version. By default, the abaqus command will be installed in such a way, that it refers to the newest version of Abaqus. When typing in abaqus a .bat file called ‘abaqus.bat’ is run. This is normally located in C:\SIMULIA\Commands. This can be opened with a text editor to view its contents (Figure 5).

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (5)

Figure 5: The contents of abaqus.bat

In this example, abaqus.bat refers to abq2019.bat. This means that when I use the command abaqus it will run abq2019.bat and therefore Abaqus 2019 will be run. If different versions of Abaqus are installed on a system, then each will have its own .bat file. Starting from Abaqus 2016, their default name is abqxxxxhfy with xxxx the year of the Abaqus release and y the hotfix number. For a general release version no reference to a hotfix is included, so if you want to run abaqus 2018 (general release), the command will be abq2018 and for abaqus 2017 hotfix 3 the command will be abq2017hf3. Abaqus versions before Abaqus 2016 are referred to by version number. For example, Abaqus 6.14-1 is referred to as abq6141. It is usually straight forward to find the correct Abaqus command by looking in the C:\SIMULIA\Commands directory.

These commands work in the same way as the general abaqus command, so if we want to open the CAE of Abaqus 2018 (and it is installed) we can thus type in the following in the command line interface: abq2018 cae.

If I would always want to use Abaqus 2018 instead of Abaqus 2019, I could change abq2019 in the abaqus.bat file to abq2018, and this change would be made.

In the same commands folder, there is also a abq_cae_open.bat and an abq_odb_open.bat. By default they refer to abaqus.bat, so the same Abaqus version is used when opening a .cae or .odb by double-clicking as is used in the command line interface. These files can be changed however.

Version compatibility

Abaqus .cae and .odb files are version specific. They can be opened using a different hotfix from the same release, but they can’t be used in a different release version. An .odb or .cae file can be upgraded to be used in a newer version, but it can’t be ‘downgraded’ to be used in an older version. So once you go from e.g. Abaqus 2018 to Abaqus 2019 and save the .cae file in Abaqus 2019, it will no longer be possible to open the same .cae in Abaqus 2018. What you can do, is import the .inp file. The model will then be imported with only the mesh and not the geometry, so only limited changes to the geometry are possible. Most other settings will be present and modifiable however.

Selecting a database to open while opening Abaqus/CAE

Since it is not possible to go back to an older version once a .cae file has been upgraded, it may be preferable to stick with a previous version for some .cae’s, for example when working with a colleague who only has an older version. In this case, you may want to open an existing .cae in a different version from Abaqus than the one typically used when double-clicking it. You can of course open the correct version of Abaqus and then select the model that is to be opened and change the work directory, but it may be fast to do this from the command line as follows:

  • Open a command window in the directory containing the .cae file, e.g. by shift-right clicking the folder containing it and then selecting: open command window here
  • Give the command for the abaqus version that is to be used, followed by cae database= and then the name of the .cae/.odb file. For example, opening and an .odb file named 'test.odb' in Abaqus 2017 can be done with the command: abaqus2017 cae database=test.odb

Running jobs

If you want to run a job and already have an input file, it is not necessary to open the .cae. An input file named 'test.inp' can be run directly from the command line, using

abaqus job=test

Of course abaqus can be substituted by a specific version if required. There are some additional options for the command. For example, if you are doing a restart (e.g. named previousJob) you need to refer to the job to restart from via oldjob=previousJob. If you would like the output files to be named 'newName', while the input file is named 'oldName.inp', this can be done via:

Abaqus job=newName input=oldName.

To run a job on multiple cores (in this example I’ll use 4), include cpus=4. To only perform a datacheck include datacheck in the command. To run double precision, include double. To see the contents of the .log file on the screen instead of in a file include interactive. This will also have the consequence that it is not possible to enter new commands in the command window until the job is completed. It can thus be used when wanting to run multiple analyses after each other: if a .bat file is created listing with the commands to run different Abaqus jobs interactively on different lines, then they will be run sequentially.

So, if you want to run an input file named oldName.inp, while the outputfiles should be named newName, we want to run it double precision on 4 cores and it should be run interactively, this can be done with the following command (Figure 6):

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (6)

Figure 6: Running a job from the command line

An explanation of all options available for running is available in the manual.

Running scripts

It is also possible to run Abaqus python scripts from the command line. For a script file named script-file.py, this can be done via abaqus python script-file.py if the abaqus kernel is not required.

If the kernel is required and the graphical user interface does not need to be opened, this can be done using abaqus cae noGUI=script-file.py. If the script should be run at the startup of Abaqus/CAE and the graphical user interface should be opened, this can be done via abaqus cae script=script-file.py or abaqus cae startup=script-file.py.

Finding example files with specific keywords

In some cases, it is nice to have an example .inp file when wanting to use a certain feature for the first time. In such a case it can be helpful to query the keyword/problem database. Abaqus offers the findkeyword utility for this. For example, if you have heard the *SYMMETRIC RESULTS TRANSFER option exists and you would like to see an example, you can fill in

abaqus findkeyword [enter]

A * will then be place on the next line, where you can fill in the keyword you are interested in and press [enter]. Additional keywords can be entered in the same way. Pressing [enter] without filling in a keyword, will let Abaqus search within different databases to find input files containing the specified keyword(s). By default, these are listed on the screen, but they can also be saved in a .dat file (e.g. filename.dat), by including the option job=filename.

An example of this is given in Figure 7.

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (7)

Figure 7: Example of the findkeyword utility.

Fetch

Once you know the name of the file you are interested in via the findkeyword utility, you will want to get it. What I often do is type in the name in the manual to find the .inp file as well as a bit of context explaining why the file was set up. What you could also do is use the fetch utility. If you are interested in the file named tiretransfer_full you could type in what is shown in Figure 8.

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (8)

Figure 8: Example of using the fetch utility

All files named tiretransfer_full will then be copied to the directory from which the command was run. It is also possible to use a wild card, for example abaqus fetch job=tiretransfer* will fetch all file starting with tiretransfer (Figure 9).

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (9)

Figure 9: Fetching Abaqus files using a wildcard

Conclusion

With these examples, I hope you have a better idea of how Abaqus can be run from the command line. There are many more possibilities than the ones discussed here, check out the manual under Abaqus>execution>execution procedures for more information.

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (10)

Topics: Abaqus, command window, submit, fetch

Submitting Abaqus commands through the command window (2024)

FAQs

Why is abaqus submitted but not running? ›

It might be due to a heavy file because while abaqus is writing an . inp file from your model the status is "submitted". This problem may happens due to your software version.

How do I run a batch file in abaqus? ›

Steps:
  1. You need your input file (. inp) and optionally your user material (. ...
  2. Copy my code in a text file, edit it according to the name of yor input file and working directory. Save it as file_name. ...
  3. Double click file_name. bat. ...
  4. Your Abaqus Output Databse will appear in your working directory with the name job_name. odb.
21 May 2019

How do I open a command window in Abaqus? ›

Open a command window in the directory containing the . cae file, e.g. by shift-right clicking the folder containing it and then selecting: open command window here. Give the command for the abaqus version that is to be used, followed by cae database= and then the name of the . cae/.

How do I run a job in Abaqus CAE? ›

1.p) Abaqus Basics - Create and Run a Job - YouTube

What is Abaqus INP file? ›

An ABAQUS input file is an ASCII data file. It can be created by using a text editor or by using a graphical preprocessor such as ABAQUS/CAE. The input file consists of a series of lines containing ABAQUS options (keyword lines) and data (data lines).

Where is INP file in Abaqus? ›

inp file in Abaqus to have a sense of geometry, materials, etc. This is called importing. From the main menu bar, go to File > Import > Model. In the pop up window that appears, filter files as .

How do I run Abaqus subroutine? ›

Here are instructions on how to configure ABAQUS to run user subroutines.
...
Later versions will not work.
  1. Install software. Click on the Start Menu and open the Run dialog box. ...
  2. Configure ABAQUS to Intel Fortran. ...
  3. Set environment variables. ...
  4. Edit environment variables. ...
  5. Update environment variables. ...
  6. Verify user subroutine linkage.

Will abaqus run on Windows 11? ›

Windows 11 is not supported for linkage with SIMULIA Abaqus.

How do I restart abaqus analysis? ›

There are primarily two ways to do this: Requesting and calling Restart file from same CAE model. That means first simulation and Restart simulation are launched from same CAE model. Requesting Restart file in main CAE model and calling Restart file from another CAE model.

How do I find unconnected regions in abaqus? ›

All unconnected regions can be viewed from following address: Tools>display group>manager>create>Item:Elements, Method:Element sets, MESH COMPONENT 1, 2, 3, ... Highlights items in the viewport. Now you can find unconnected regions and fix them.

How do I queue jobs in Abaqus? ›

To choose the run mode:
  1. Locate the job editor. From the main menu bar, select Job Edit jobname. ABAQUS/CAE displays the Edit Job dialog box.
  2. Click the Submission tab to display the Submission tabbed page.
  3. From the Run Mode options in the middle of the page, select either Background or Queue.

How do I open Abaqus Student? ›

Access to Software

To download and install Abaqus, follow the steps below: Go to the Abaqus Student Edition page and click "Free Download". Create an account, or sign in if you already have one. Accept the Condition of Usage Agreement and click "Download-now".

How do I change my directory? ›

The following are examples of how to use the cd command:
  1. To change to your home directory, type the following: cd.
  2. To change to the /usr/include directory, type the following: cd /usr/include.
  3. To go down one level of the directory tree to the sys directory, type the following: cd sys.

What are Abaqus subroutines? ›

The Abaqus user subroutine allows the program to be customized for particular applications which are not available through the main Abaqus facilities. You should write a user subroutine if you could not run your analysis by ABAQUS built-in models for materials, loads, properties, elements, etc.

Who developed Abaqus? ›

Dr. David Hibbitt was still with the company he co-founded as chairman while Mark Goldstein was president and CEO when the company was acquired by Dassault Systèmes. After 23 years of leadership, David Hibbitt retired in 2001; Bengt Karlsson and Paul Sorensen followed suit in the following year.

How do I run an INP file? ›

How to open an INP file. You can open an INP file in Concept Software Urdu InPage (Windows). There are no other known programs that can open INP files.

What is a job in Abaqus? ›

Running Abaqus analysis is called a job. The driver creates the job_name.com file based on a parameter given with abaqus command (e.g. number of cpus, user subroutines, etc), Abaqus settings (set of *. env files) and an input file.

How do I export INP from Abaqus CAE? ›

Export Options - Abaqus
  1. Right-click the top icon of a Simulation study tree, and click Export.
  2. For Save as type, select ABAQUS Files (*. inp).

What is a .INT file? ›

An INT file is a game ROM file used by Intellivision emulators, such as MESS, Nostalgia, and Bliss. It contains an exact copy of game data from the original game cartridge, which is used by an emulator to play the game.

What is a BNP file? ›

Data file created by some Sony digital camcorders; stored within the AVF_INFO directory on the camcorder and contains metadata about the recorded videos; used for displaying information on the camcorder such as the dates and number of videos recorded.

What is umat ABAQUS? ›

UMAT stands for User MATerial. Remember, we use UMAT when none of the existing material models included in the ABAQUS material library accurately represents the behavior of the material to be modeled.

How do I link ABAQUS to Fortran? ›

LINKING FORTRAN AND C++ WITH ABAQUS
  1. Install ABAQUS.
  2. Install Microsoft Visual STUDIO (trial. ...
  3. Open ABAQUS command window and type "abaqus verify. ...
  4. If fails go to My Computer->Properties->Advanced->Environment. ...
  5. Check. ...
  6. save. ...
  7. Enjoy it!

How do I install Abaqus on Windows 10? ›

The general process of installing Abaqus is divided into three parts: Install the user documentation but using help.3ds.com is recommended. Install the license manager (FlexNet or DSLS) Install the software services (Abaqus, CAE, iSight, TOSCA and fe-safe)

How do I download Abaqus 2022? ›

Find your Abaqus 2022 version install directory and set your current directory to the site directory for that version. Download the new graphicsConfig. env file by clicking on the file name in the browser window. Select the save as option, and save the file in your Abaqus 2021 site directory.

What is a restart analysis? ›

Restart analyses, along with standard and variation models, are one of three types of OrcaFlex model. Whilst a restart analysis tracks its changes against a specified parent model, in the same way that a variation model does, there the similarity ends.

How do I continue an aborted job in Abaqus? ›

To continue from a set of existing results, you should request the restart of your analysis in the STEP modulus of Abaqus/CAE (Output > Request restart) before starting the analysis. This option is considered by default only in Abaqus/Explicit.

How do I pause an Abaqus job? ›

Pausing a job in Abaqus
  1. Going to the work directory.
  2. Running CMD. As you hold SHIFT key, right click on any empty space of your explorer window and select Open Command window here: ...
  3. Entering the “suspend” command. Type this command to suspend the job execution.

How do I increase the number of attempts in Abaqus? ›

- in the window select specify, go to time incrementation tab, the first more tab, and change I_A value from 5 to a bigger value. This will allow abaqus to try for more than 5 times in each iteration to solve your problem.

What is tie constraint in Abaqus? ›

A tie constraint ties two separate surfaces together so that there is no relative motion between them. This type of constraint allows you to fuse together two regions even though the meshes created on the surfaces of the regions may be dissimilar.

› watch ›

This video describes the basics of running user subroutines in Abaqus. An example of the UEL user element subroutine is given to model a linear beam.
Intel Fortran Compiler Version 9.1. Later versions will not work. Install software. Click on the Start Menu and open the Run dialog box. In the dialog box ...
The user subroutines allow customizing Abaqus for particular applications. This is a road map to start writing the Abaqus subroutine or Abaqus user subroutine.

How do I queue jobs in Abaqus? ›

Use the Run Mode options in the Submission tabbed page to choose the mode in which ABAQUS will run your job. You can choose one of the following options: Background to run your job locally in the background. Queue to submit your job to a named local or remote batch queue; select the batch queue from the pull-down list.

How do I run Abaqus verification? ›

Verify user subroutine linkage
  1. Open an ABAQUS command window and type abaqus verify -user_std. followed by a carriage return. Check that every test passes.
  2. Run a trial analysis using subroutines to check.
26 Apr 2013

How do I open Abaqus Student? ›

Access to Software

To download and install Abaqus, follow the steps below: Go to the Abaqus Student Edition page and click "Free Download". Create an account, or sign in if you already have one. Accept the Condition of Usage Agreement and click "Download-now".

What are Abaqus subroutines? ›

The Abaqus user subroutine allows the program to be customized for particular applications which are not available through the main Abaqus facilities. You should write a user subroutine if you could not run your analysis by ABAQUS built-in models for materials, loads, properties, elements, etc.

How do I run ABAQUS subroutine? ›

Here are instructions on how to configure ABAQUS to run user subroutines.
...
Later versions will not work.
  1. Install software. Click on the Start Menu and open the Run dialog box. ...
  2. Configure ABAQUS to Intel Fortran. ...
  3. Set environment variables. ...
  4. Edit environment variables. ...
  5. Update environment variables. ...
  6. Verify user subroutine linkage.

How do I link ABAQUS to Fortran? ›

LINKING FORTRAN AND C++ WITH ABAQUS
  1. Install ABAQUS.
  2. Install Microsoft Visual STUDIO (trial. ...
  3. Open ABAQUS command window and type "abaqus verify. ...
  4. If fails go to My Computer->Properties->Advanced->Environment. ...
  5. Check. ...
  6. save. ...
  7. Enjoy it!

What does Abaqus stand for? ›

ANSYS stands for the analysis system. ABAQUS means finite element computer code.

Is Abaqus better than Ansys? ›

Both have enough accuracy and you might be able to get the acceptable results. However, In ANSYS you may faster result but you need to know Abaqus software is well-known as an accurate software to get results. Since you can use subroutine in Abaqus can build a better model for your publication.

Does abaqus use Fortran? ›

As you may know, Abaqus user subroutines are written in Fortran language using Intel Fortran. Intel Fortran compiler needs to work under Microsoft Visual Studio. For many users, this is a challenge to find versions of Intel Fortran and Visual Studio compatible with their Abaqus version.

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