For post processing purposes Abaqus has a powerful scripting interface to access output database (ODB) files. The interface also known as ‘ODB API’, is available both in python and C++ programing languages. I would like to share some scripting methods that can be used to extract complex field output results from an ODB.

For python ODB API

1) complexMagnitude() : To compute the magnitude of the complex field

2) complexPhase() : To compute the phase of the complex field

3) complexReal() : To extract only the real part of the complex field

4) complexImag() : To extract only the conjugate part of the complex field

The above method names can be substituted in the “Expression” text area in the “Create Field Output” dialog box of Abaqus/Viewer to create fields with the complex output.

Similarly for C++ ODB API

1) odb_FieldOutput complexMagnitude(const odb_FieldOutput & );

2) odb_FieldOutput complexPhase(const odb_FieldOutput & );

3) odb_FieldOutput complexReal(const odb_FieldOutput & );

4) odb_FieldOutput complexImag(const odb_FieldOutput & );

All these methods take the complex FieldOutput object as an argument.These methods are not yet documented.

More information on the scripting interface can be found in the Abaqus Scripting User's Manual and Abaqus Scripting Reference Manual.