You can include substructure definitions in a model database and begin to use them for modeling by importing the substructures as new part definitions. Substructure data are available in .sim files, and the substructure identifier is included in the file name; for example, in an analysis in which the substructure is named FAN and the substructure identifier is Z400, the substructure database file is named FAN_Z400.sim.
The .sim file from which you import a substructure must reside in the same directory as the supporting Abaqus files to which the .sim database refers; these supporting files may include data in the formats .prt, .mdl, .stt, or .sup.
Substructure import also requires an output database (.odb) file for mesh display.
