When you create a new part, you must choose the part's approximate size. The size that you enter is used by Abaqus/CAE to calculate the size of the Sketcher sheet and the spacing of its grid. You should set the approximate size of the part to match the largest dimension of the finished part. If you find subsequently that the part exceeds the size of the Sketcher sheet, use the Sketch customization options to increase the sheet size. You cannot change a part's approximate size after you have created it. However, you can copy the part to a new part and scale the part during the copy operation. For more information, see “Copying a part,” Section 11.18.3.
Abaqus/CAE uses a geometry engine to model parts and features. The recommended approximate size limits are between 0.001 (10–3) and 10000 (104) units. This size range should prevent your model from exceeding the limits of the geometry engine. For example, the minimum size supported by the geometry engine is 10–6, so maintaining geometry on the order of 10–3 will normally allow node and element dimensions to remain above the minimum size. Parts that exceed the recommended limits may exhibit geometric defects. If you find that you need to specify an approximate size that is outside the suggested range, you should consider adopting a different set of units.
