ODB2ANY: ABAQUS Output Database Extraction & Visualization Tool

ODB2ANY is a professional toolkit for extracting, converting, and visualizing ABAQUS Output Database (ODB) results. It provides a streamlined workflow for post-processing ABAQUS analysis results through JSON conversion and customizable plotting capabilities.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Requirements
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Detailed Usage Guide
• Configuration Files
• Output Structure
• Troubleshooting
• License

Features

ODB2JSON (Data Extraction)

• Extract complete field outputs (stress, strain, displacement, etc.)
• Export history outputs with time-series data
• Generate comprehensive header information
• Support for multiple instances and sets
• Automatic metadata inclusion
• Flexible output organization

ODB2PLOT (Visualization)

• Customizable plot styles and configurations
• Support for various output types
• Range visualization for field outputs
• Time-series plotting for history outputs
• CSV export for further customization
• Built-in data smoothing and processing

Requirements

For ODB2JSON (Extraction)

• ABAQUS/CAE with Python 2.7 environment
• NumPy (included in Abaqus Python)
• odbAccess module (provided by Abaqus)

For ODB2PLOT (Visualization)

• Python 3.x
• NumPy
• Matplotlib

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/AliSaeeidiRad/ODB2ANY.git
   cd ODB2ANY

2. No additional installation is needed for ODB2JSON as it uses Abaqus's built-in Python.

3. For ODB2PLOT, install required Python packages:

   pip install numpy matplotlib

Quick Start

1. Submit your ABAQUS job:

   cd example
   abaqus job=Job-1 cpus=8
   cd ..

2. Convert ODB results to JSON:

   abaqus python odb2json.py --odb-file example/Job-1.odb --write-history --write-field --instances PART-1-1 --step *

3. Generate header information:

   python odb2plot.py --field example/ODB2JSON/Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output.json --history example/ODB2JSON/Job-1_history_output.json --header

4. Plot von Mises stress:

   python odb2plot.py --field example/ODB2JSON/Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output.json --plot-config plot_config_s_example.json --field-option S_ --data-key mises --step *

5. Plot displacements:

   python odb2plot.py --field example/ODB2JSON/Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output.json --plot-config plot_config_u_example.json --field-option U_ --step *

Detailed Usage Guide

ODB2JSON Commands

1. Extract Header Information:

   abaqus python odb2json.py --odb-file <path-to-odb> --header

2. Extract History Output:

   abaqus python odb2json.py --odb-file <path-to-odb> --write-history --step *

3. Extract Field Output:

   abaqus python odb2json.py --odb-file <path-to-odb> --write-field --instances <INSTANCE> --step *

4. Combined Extraction:

   abaqus python odb2json.py --odb-file <path-to-odb> --write-history --write-field --instances <INSTANCE> --step *

Data Selection Options

ODB2JSON supports three types of data extraction from your ABAQUS ODB file:

1. Element Sets: Extract data from specific element sets defined in your model
2. Node Sets: Extract data from specific node sets defined in your model
3. Instances: Extract data from entire part instances in your model

Example commands:

# Extract from element set
abaqus python odb2json.py --odb-file model.odb --write-field --element-sets SET-1 --step *

# Extract from node set
abaqus python odb2json.py --odb-file model.odb --write-field --node-sets NSET-1 --step *

# Extract from instance
abaqus python odb2json.py --odb-file model.odb --write-field --instances PART-1-1 --step *

ODB2PLOT Commands

1. Extract Headers:

   python odb2plot.py --field <field-json> --history <history-json> --header

2. Plot Field Output:

   python odb2plot.py --field <field-json> --plot-config <config-json> --field-option <option> --data-key <key> --step *

   • For specific part selection: --field-option S_,PART-1
   • Available data keys: mises, data, etc.

3. Plot History Output:

   python odb2plot.py --history <history-json> --plot-config <config-json> --history-option <option>

Configuration Files

Plot Configuration

• plot_config_s_example.json: Example config for stress plots
• plot_config_u_example.json: Example config for displacement plots

Configuration options include:

• Figure size and layout
• Plot colors and styles
• Axis labels and limits
• Grid properties
• Legend settings

Output Structure

example/
└── ODB2JSON/
    ├── Job-1_history_output.json
    ├── Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output.json
    ├── Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output_summary.json
    └── ODB2PLOT/
        ├── HEADERS/
        │   ├── Job-1_history_output.json
        │   └── Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output.json
        └── PLOTS/
            ├── FIELD/
            │   ├── Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output_S_PART-1-1.csv
            │   ├── Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output_S_PART-1-1.tiff
            │   ├── Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output_U_PART-1-1.csv
            │   └── Job-1_instances_PART-1-1_field_output_U_PART-1-1.tiff
            └── HISTORY/

Troubleshooting

1. ODB2JSON Issues:

   • Ensure running with abaqus python
   • Verify ODB file exists and is not locked
   • Check available memory for large ODB files
   • Verify instance and set names exist in the model

2. ODB2PLOT Issues:

   • Ensure Python 3.x is used
   • Check NumPy and Matplotlib installation
   • Verify JSON file paths and structure
   • Check plot configuration format

Citation

If you use ODB2ANY in your research, please cite it using:

@software{saeedirad2025odb2any,
  author       = {Saeedi Rad, Ali},
  title        = {{ODB2ANY: ABAQUS Output Database Extraction & Visualization Tool}},
  month        = sep,
  year         = 2025,
  publisher    = {GitHub},
  version      = {1.0.0},
  url          = {https://github.com/AliSaeeidiRad/ODB2ANY},
  description  = {A toolkit for extracting, converting, and visualizing ABAQUS Output Database (ODB) results}
}

License

GNU General Public License v3.0 - Copyright (c) 2025 Ali Saeedi Rad

Author

Ali Saeedi Rad
Version: 1.0.0
Date: September 2025
Repository: https://github.com/AliSaeeidiRad/ODB2ANY