You can import stand-alone sketches into the model by selecting FileImportSketch from the main menu bar. You can import sketches from files stored in the following industry-standard formats:

• AutoCAD (file extension .dxf)

• IGES (file extension .igs)

• ACIS (file extension .sat)

• STEP (file extension .stp)

When you import a file as a stand-alone sketch, Abaqus/CAE translates the contents of the file into a set of Sketcher entities, such as lines, arcs, and splines. Abaqus/CAE can import most planar entities from an IGES-format file. For a complete list of the IGES entities that can be imported into a sketch, see “IGES entities recognized by Abaqus/CAE when importing a part or a sketch,” Section 10.7.8. When you import an AutoCAD- or ACIS-format file, Abaqus/CAE recognizes only the entities listed in Table 20–1 and Table 20–2. If Abaqus/CAE finds geometry that it cannot translate, it ignores that geometry and continues importing the sketch.

For Abaqus/CAE to convert the file to a sketch, the file must contain a two-dimensional planar profile that can be mapped to the sketch plane. If the file contains three-dimensional geometry, Abaqus/CAE cannot import the sketch.

In some cases, when you import a sketch to create the base feature of a part, Abaqus/CAE positions the sketch relatively far from the Sketcher origin. As a result, the part will be far from its origin, and the analysis of your model can be affected by a loss of precision. To improve precision, you may have to move the part closer to its origin by moving the vertices of the sketch closer to the origin of the Sketcher grid. For more information, see “The Sketcher sheet and grid,” Section 20.4.2.