This chapter discusses features related to creating your model, such as node and element definition in Abaqus/Standard or Abaqus/Explicit and part and assembly definition in Abaqus/CAE. It provides an overview of the following enhancements:

• “Model types in Abaqus/CAE,” Section 4.1

• “Midsurface modeling,” Section 4.2

• “View cuts in Abaqus/CAE,” Section 4.3

• “Modeling enhancements for Abaqus/CFD,” Section 4.4

• “Topology tracking in the Sketcher,” Section 4.5

• “Three-dimensional sweep paths for swept features,” Section 4.6

• “Selection of individual faces for repair of face normals,” Section 4.7

• “Geometry repair for shells and solid parts that contain multiple cells,” Section 4.8

• “New tools for editing or repairing faces,” Section 4.9

• “Improvements to repair of small edges and small faces,” Section 4.10

• “Automatic validity check after geometry edits,” Section 4.11

• “Stitching gaps in non-manifold parts,” Section 4.12

• “Enhanced support in Abaqus/CAE for modeling fracture mechanics using XFEM,” Section 4.13

• “Ability to select attachment points for additional modeling tasks,” Section 4.14

• “Enhancements to distributions of orientations,” Section 4.15

• “Expanded use of distributions for shell sections,” Section 4.16

• “Control over individual vector display in continuum shell composite layups,” Section 4.17

• “Enhancements to orientations for material orientations and composite layups,” Section 4.18

• “Querying mass properties for beams and trusses,” Section 4.19

• “Querying for disjoint ply regions,” Section 4.20

• “Querying for regions missing section assignments,” Section 4.21

• “Enhancements to the Datum toolset,” Section 4.22

• “Rendering of shell thickness,” Section 4.23

• “Hiding annotations,” Section 4.24

• “Quick display buttons for all datum geometry, viewport annotations, free body cuts, and attributes,” Section 4.25

• “Specifying the universal gas constant,” Section 4.26