How to print a 3D pdf from ABAQUS/Viewer? - pdf

Question

I am looking for a way to print 3D pdf from the results ABAQUS/Viewer. This will make it easy to communicate the results with others who are interested in the results of simulation but do not have access to ABAQUS.

Answer 1

The best way is to export a vrml file and convert it using Tetra4D or pdf3D and Adobe Acrobat professional. The 3D pdfs can look very good. However, the commercial software would cost over £800 per year. I did create a Python script to create a 3D pdf directly from Abaqus/CAE & Viewer which uses 2 open source tools: 1) Meshlab (http://www.meshlab.net/) to create a U3D file, 2) MiKTeX (https://miktex.org/) to convert the U3D file into a pdf. The output is not as polished as Tetra4D but it works. I have not tried this with the latest version of Meshlab. Just run this script from Abaqus/CAE or Abaqus/Viewer.
# Abaqus CAE/Viewer Python Script to create a 3D pdf directly from Abaqus/CAE or Abaqus/Viewer.
# You must first install meshlab (meshlabserver.exe)and MiKTeX (pdflatex.exe)
# Edit this script to reflect the installed locations of meshlabserver.exe and pdflatex.exe
# It will export a stl or obj file the mesh of current viewport and convert into 3D pdf
# Or run in Abaqus/viewer and it will create a VRML file and convert to 3D pdf.
# If contours are displayed in Abaqus Viewer, then it will create a contour 3D pdf
from abaqus import *
from abaqusConstants import *
from viewerModules import *
import os
import subprocess
import sys
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
pdfName='try'
meshlab_path="C:/Program Files/VCG/MeshLab/meshlabserver.exe"
pdfLatex_path="C:/Program Files (x86)/MiKTeX 2.9/miktex/bin/pdflatex.exe"
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
currView=session.viewports[session.currentViewportName]
try: # for Abaqus Viewer
cOdbD=currView.odbDisplay
odb = session.odbs[cOdbD.name]
name=odb.name.split(r'/')[-1].replace('.odb','')
module='Vis'
except: # Abaqus CAE
#name=currView.displayedObject.modelName
import stlExport_kernel
name = repr(currView.displayedObject).split('[')[-1].split(']')[0][1:-1] # allows for either main or visulation modules
module='CAE'
print module
if module=='CAE':
#All instances must be meshed
cOdbD=None
try:
ext='.stl'
stlExport_kernel.STLExport(moduleName='Assembly', stlFileName=pdfName + ext, stlFileType='BINARY')
except:
try:
ext='.obj'
session.writeOBJFile(fileName=os.path.join(directory,pdfName + ext), canvasObjects= (currView, ))
except:
print 'Either your assembly is not fully meshed or something else'
directory=(os.getcwd())
else: # Abaqus/Viewer
if cOdbD.viewCut:
session.graphicsOptions.setValues(antiAlias=OFF) # Better with anti aliasing off
odb = session.odbs[cOdbD.name]
directory=odb.path.replace(odb.path.split('/')[-1],'').replace('/','\\')
# Turn off most of the stuff in the viewport
currView.viewportAnnotationOptions.setValues(triad=OFF,
legend=OFF, title=OFF, state=OFF, annotations=OFF, compass=OFF)
ext='.wrl'
session.writeVrmlFile(fileName=os.path.join(directory,pdfName + ext),
compression=0, canvasObjects= (currView, ))
pdfFilePath=os.path.join(directory,pdfName+'-out.pdf')
if os.path.isfile(pdfFilePath):
os.remove(pdfFilePath)
#Check file was deleted
if os.path.isfile(pdfFilePath):
print "Aborted because pdf file of same name cant be deleted. Please close programs which it might be open in"
1/0 #a dodgy way to exit program
# Invoke meshlab to convert to a .u3d file
if cOdbD: #If in Abaqus/viewer
if 'CONTOURS' in repr(cOdbD.display.plotState[0]): # If contours are displayed. Output contoured pdf
p=subprocess.Popen([meshlab_path,'-i',pdfName + ext, '-o',pdfName + '.u3d','-m','vc']) #'vn fn fc vt'
else:
p=subprocess.Popen([meshlab_path,'-i',pdfName + ext, '-o',pdfName + '.u3d'])
else:
p=subprocess.Popen([meshlab_path,'-i',pdfName + ext, '-o',pdfName + '.u3d'])
p.communicate() # Wait for meshlab to finish
file_fullPathName=os.path.join(directory, pdfName + '.tex')
#Read the .tex file which meshlab has just created
with open(file_fullPathName, 'r') as texFile:
lines = texFile.read()
#Edit the .tex file
lines=lines.replace("\usepackage[3D]{movie15}","\\usepackage[3D]{movie15}\n\\usepackage[margin=-2.2in]{geometry}")
if cOdbD:
if 'CONTOURS' in repr(cOdbD.display.plotState[0]):
lines=lines.replace("3Dlights=CAD,","3Dlights=CAD,\n\t3Drender=SolidWireframe,")
lines=lines.replace("\n\end{document}","{---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click above! MB1 - rotate, MB2 wheel or MB3 - zoom, Ctrl-MB1 - pan--------------}\n\\end{document}")
file_fullPathName=os.path.join(directory, pdfName + '-out.tex')
with open(file_fullPathName, "w") as outp:
outp.write(lines)
p=subprocess.Popen([
pdfLatex_path,
pdfName + '-out.tex',
])
p.communicate()
print 'Conversion to pdf complete'
print file_fullPathName

Answer 2

The simplest way of printing the Abaqus *.odb results are using Tecplot 360 which is read the Abaqus *.odb files and you can get the *.tif and *.png results with any resolutions and you can also rotate the model in 3D and change the fonts and all the things you need.