Defining integrated output sections

From the main menu bar, select OutputIntegrated Output SectionsCreate.
The Create Integrated Output Section dialog box appears.
In the dialog box, type a name for the output section or accept the default name.
Select the surface on which to define the integrated output section using either of the following methods:
- Select a surface in the viewport. When you have finished selecting, click mouse button 2.
  
  If the model contains a combination of mesh and geometry, click one of the following from the prompt area:
  - Click Geometry to define the section on geometry.
  - Click Mesh to define the section on native or orphan mesh faces.
- To select from a list of existing surfaces, do the following:
  1. Click Surfaces on the right side of the prompt area.
    
    Abaqus/CAE displays the Region Selection dialog box containing a list of available surfaces.
  2. Select the surface of interest, and click Continue.
Note:
The default selection method is based on the selection method you most recently employed. To revert to the other method, click Select in Viewport or Surfaces on the right side of the prompt area.

The integrated output section editor appears. The surface on which you are defining the section is highlighted in the viewport.
By default, the integrated output section is anchored at the global origin. To define a reference point at which the section will be anchored, select Anchor at reference point, and click Edit.
If the reference point is not physically connected to the model, you can adjust its initial position and specify that it should follow the average motion of the surface associated with the integrated output section. By default, the reference point does not track the average motion of the surface.
- To reposition the reference point at the center of the surface in the initial configuration, toggle on Move point to center of surface.
- To specify that the reference point should both translate and rotate with the average motion of the surface, select Average translation and rotation for the Point motion.
- To specify that the reference point should translate with the average translation of the surface without any rotation, select Average translation for the Point motion.
By default, the coordinate system for the integrated output section is initialized to the global coordinate system. To choose a local coordinate system instead, click next to the CSYS field.
If desired, toggle on Project orientation onto surface to project the coordinate system (either global or local) onto the section surface.
Click OK to close the integrated output section editor.