Preferred element types list

You can specify a list of preferred element types for element type assignment.

Abaqus/CAE must be run interactively to use preferred element types. The list must be created prior to loading the Mesh module in Abaqus/CAE.

See Also
In Other Guides
Using the Abaqus environment files

When a part or part instance that has never been assigned an element type is meshed, the preferred element type list is consulted. If an element type appropriate to the geometry is found in the list, it is assigned to the geometry. Multiple element types representing different shapes (for example, triangles and quadrilaterals) can be assigned in combination, but only element types that are compatible with each other are used. When more than one appropriate element type is found in the list, the first element type encountered takes precedence.

The list is also consulted when populating the Element Type dialog box such that preferred element types are selected by default for a region not previously assigned any element types. If you click Defaults in the dialog box, the default element types (not the preferred element types) are displayed.

You can specify the preferred element types list in either the abaqus_v6.env or the custom_v6.env environment file. It is recommended that you specify the list of preferred element types in the onCaeStartup() function in the environment file. For example: 

def onCaeStartup():
    from mesh import *
    prefElems=(C3D8T, C3D10MT, S8R)
    session.defaultMesherOptions.setValues(guiPreferredElements=prefElems)