Abaqus Documentation Skill

Navigate and access Abaqus Python API documentation for parameter lookups and method reference.

When to Use This Skill

Route here when user asks:

• "Where is the API documentation?"
• "What parameters does X take?"
• "What methods are available for Material/Part/Mesh?"
• "Show me the API reference for..."
• "Download/refresh the docs"

Route elsewhere:

• Learning concepts or workflows -> specific analysis skills
• Running analyses -> /abaqus-static-analysis, /abaqus-dynamic-analysis, etc.
• Quick code examples -> module-specific skills like /abaqus-material

Documentation Location

All API documentation is pre-downloaded at:

.claude/docs/abaqus-api/modules/

Module Index

Task	Documentation File
Model database	modules/mdb.md
Model internals	modules/mdb_model.md
Part creation	modules/part.md
2D sketching	modules/sketcher.md
Assembly/instances	modules/assembly.md
Material properties	modules/material.md
Section properties	modules/property.md
Meshing	modules/mesh.md
Analysis steps	modules/step.md
Loads	modules/load.md
Boundary conditions	modules/bc.md
Contact/ties	modules/interaction.md
Time-varying definitions	modules/amplitude.md
Initial/predefined fields	modules/field.md
Output requests	modules/output.md
Topology optimization	modules/optimization.md
Job management	modules/job.md
Results access	modules/odb.md

How to Use

Answering API Questions

1. Identify which module the user needs from the index above
2. Read the relevant documentation file
3. Extract specific method signatures, parameters, or examples

Common Lookups

User Asks About	Read This Module
Creating geometry	part.md, sketcher.md
Positioning parts	assembly.md
Defining materials	material.md
Creating sections	property.md
Generating mesh	mesh.md
Setting up analysis	step.md
Applying forces	load.md
Fixing supports	bc.md
Defining contact	interaction.md
Running analysis	job.md
Extracting results	odb.md

Refreshing Documentation

If documentation is missing or outdated:

1. Run the download script at .claude/skills/abaqus-docs/scripts/download_abqpy_docs.py
2. Use --force flag to overwrite existing files

Documentation Sources

• Primary: https://hailin.wang/abqpy/en/2025/reference/
• GitHub: https://github.com/haiiliin/abqpy

Code Patterns

For actual API syntax and code examples, see:

• references/api-quick-ref.md
• references/common-patterns.md