Where are plug-in files stored?

Abaqus plug-ins can be stored in several locations. Native Abaqus/CAE plug-ins are included with the Abaqus/CAE installation. External plug-ins (any plug-in installed after the Abaqus/CAE installation) should not be placed inside the Abaqus/CAE installation.

Instead, you should install external plug-ins in any of the following locations:

  • home_dir\abaqus_plugins, where home_dir is your home directory.

  • current_dir\abaqus_plugins, where current_dir is the current directory.

  • plugin_central_dir is an Abaqus environment parameter used to define one or more specific directories where plug-ins are stored. This is typically a central location accessed by all users at your site if the directory is mounted on a file system that all users can access. plugin_central_dir can be defined in the abaqus_v6.env file or the Abaqus solver custom_v6.env file. For example, 

    plugin_central_dir = "C:\\SIMULIA\\CAE\\plugins;U:\\shared\\CAE\\plugins"

    Directories are separated by a semicolon on Windows systems or by a colon on Linux systems. For more information, see Using the Abaqus environment files.

Abaqus/CAE will import any files in these directories that match the naming convention *_plugin.py. These files must contain registration commands. The name of the file must follow the rules described in Standard Abaqus Scripting Interface exceptions.