SKILL.md
Abaqus ODB Skill
This skill reads and extracts analysis results from Abaqus ODB files.
When to Use This Skill
Route here when user mentions:
- "What is the maximum stress?", "extract displacement"
- "Get reaction forces", "post-process the ODB"
- "Export results to CSV", "what are the eigenfrequencies?"
Route elsewhere:
- Running the analysis →
/abaqus-job
- Configuring what output to save →
/abaqus-output
- Exporting geometry (STL, STEP) →
/abaqus-export
Key Decisions
1. What Result is Needed?
| Need |
Field |
Notes |
| Displacement |
U |
Use .magnitude for total |
| Stress |
S |
Use .mises for von Mises |
| Reaction force |
RF |
Sum components for total |
| Strain |
E |
Similar structure to stress |
| Temperature |
NT |
Thermal analysis results |
| Eigenfrequency |
Frame description |
Parse from frame metadata |
2. Which Step/Frame?
| Scenario |
Frame Selection |
| Final results |
step.frames[-1] |
| All time history |
Loop all frames |
| Specific time |
Find by frameValue |
| Modal analysis |
Each frame = mode |
3. Location: Global Max or Specific?
| Need |
Approach |
| Overall maximum |
Loop all values, find max |
| Specific node |
Filter by nodeLabel |
| Subset/region |
Use getSubset(region=...) |
4. Export Format?
| Format |
Use Case |
| Print to console |
Quick check |
| CSV file |
Spreadsheet analysis |
| Text report |
Documentation |
What to Ask User
If unclear, ask:
- What result? Stress, displacement, reaction force, frequency?
- Which step/frame? Final, specific time, or all?
- Location? Maximum anywhere, or specific node/region?
- Output format? Print, CSV, or report?
Workflow
- Open ODB - Use
readOnly=True for extraction
- Navigate to step/frame - List steps with
odb.steps.keys()
- Get field output - Access via
frame.fieldOutputs['U']
- Extract values - Loop
field.values, use .magnitude, .mises
- Close ODB - Always close when done
Common Tasks
| Task |
Approach |
| Max displacement |
Loop U values, find max magnitude |
| Max von Mises stress |
Loop S values, find max mises |
| Total reaction force |
Sum RF components across all nodes |
| Displacement at node |
Filter by nodeLabel |
| Results in region |
Use getSubset with node/element set |
| Eigenfrequencies |
Parse frame.description in frequency step |
| Time history |
Use historyRegions and historyOutputs |
| Export to CSV |
Write values with csv module |
Troubleshooting
| Error |
Cause |
Solution |
| "ODB locked" |
Another process has it |
Delete .lck file |
| "Key not found" |
Wrong variable name |
List available keys first |
| "No values" |
Output not requested |
Check FieldOutputRequest in model |
| "AttributeError: mises" |
Element has no mises |
Check element formulation |
Code Patterns
For API syntax and code examples, see:
- [ODB Extraction Patterns](references/extraction-patterns.md)
- [Common Queries](references/common-queries.md)
- [Export Templates](references/export-templates.md)
