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Initial Conditions
Initial conditions are specified for particular nodes or elements, as
appropriate. The data can be provided directly; in an external input file; or,
in some cases, by a user subroutine or by the results or output database
file from a previous Abaqus analysis.
If initial conditions are not specified, all initial conditions are zero except
relative density in the porous metal plasticity model (which has the
value 1.0);
solution-dependent variables that control element deletion (which has
the value 1.0); and
element solution-dependent variables that control element deletion
(which has the value 1.0).

The following topics are discussed:

Specifying initial conditions
Reading the input data from an external file
Importing data from an output database file
Consistency with kinematic constraints
Spatial interpolation method

Products: Abaqus/Standard Abaqus/Explicit

Specifying initial conditions

You can specify initial conditions as follows:
Directly in an input file.
In an alternate input file (see Reading the input data from an external file).
In a user subroutine.
From the results or output database file of a previous Abaqus analysis. For more details on reading
from output databases in the .odb or .sim file format, see Importing data from an output database
file and Initial Condition Types.

You can specify various types of initial conditions, depending on the analysis to be performed. For
information about each type of initial condition, see Initial Condition Types.

Reading the input data from an external file

The input data for an initial conditions definition can be contained in a separate file. See Input Syntax
Rules for the syntax of such file names.
Input File Usage:
*INITIAL CONDITIONS, INPUT=file_name

Importing data from an output database file

You can use field results from a prior simulation as initial conditions for another simulation in many cases.
This method uses functionality associated with importing external fields, discussed in General capability for
importing external fields. The output database from the prior simulation must be in the .sim format. If the
previous analysis is performed with third-party software, you must convert the results file to the .sim file
format.
This method for specifying initial conditions cannot be used for initial acoustic static pressure, initial
location of an enriched feature, initial fluid pressure, initial gap, initial mass flow rate, reference mesh
(initial metric) for membrane elements, initial velocities in terms of an angular velocity and a global
 translational velocity, initial spud embedment, initial spud preload, initial unfold coordinates, and initial
volume fraction.
You can use any appropriate result from the output database by specifying an output variable identifier
(see Abaqus/Standard output variable identifiers and Abaqus/Explicit output variable identifiers, for
available output variable identifiers). The results data can be associated with nodes or elements.
You can specify a source region (node or element set in the previous model) if data are imported only from
a subset of the previous model. Sometimes a source region is also specified to eliminate ambiguity during
mapping. You can specify a target region if data are specified only on a subset of the current model.
You must specify the full name of the output database file including the file extension .sim.
You can import only results data requested on two- and three-dimensional continuum elements and three-
dimensional conventional shell elements, and you can specify imported data only for elements with
matching types. You cannot import data from three-dimensional continuum elements to shell elements, or
vice versa. When importing tensor field data, the source region must contain only elements with the same
number of components of the tensor field. For example, when specifying initial stress with stress data from
a previous analysis, you must separate the solid elements and shell elements in the previous analysis into
separate source regions.
When you use results data to specify some initial conditions, data are mapped directly to all integration
points and section points of a target element. These conditions include initial stress, initial plastic strain,
initial damage initiation, initial hardening, and initial specific energy.
You can import data from shell elements to shell elements with a different number of section points, except
for initial temperatures and initial field variables. When a different number of section points are detected in
the source and target elements, Abaqus automatically interpolates linearly in the thickness direction
between the two closest section points in the source element to find the value at the section point in the
target element. You must request results data at all section points in the previous analysis.
You can specify mapping tolerances and special tensor averaging methods if mapping is performed. If the
model in the previous analysis is repositioned in the current analysis, you must specify the translation and
rotation so that the source region can be repositioned before data are imported, except in the following
cases;
Scalar data are imported from a matching mesh.
Tensor data are imported from a matching mesh, and there is no rotation between the source region
and the target region.

Input File Usage:

Use the following options to define initial conditions by importing data from a source region in
an output database (.sim) file to a target region in the current analysis. Mapping controls and
repositioning are also applied:
*INITIAL CONDITIONS
*EXTERNAL FIELD, FILE=file name
blank, target_set, blank, NODES/ELEMENTS, source_set, outputvar, mapcontrol, fieldop
*FIELD MAPPER CONTROLS, NAME=mapcontrol
, , 1.0
*FIELD OPERATIONS, NAME=fieldop
x, y, z
x1, y1, z1, x2, y2, z2, rotation

Consistency with kinematic constraints

Abaqus does not ensure that initial conditions are consistent with multi-point or equation constraints for
nodal quantities other than velocity (see General multi-point constraints and Linear constraint equations).
Initial conditions on nodal quantities such as temperature in heat transfer analysis, pore pressure in soils
analysis, or acoustic pressure in acoustic analysis must be prescribed to be consistent with any multi-point
constraint or equation constraint governing these quantities.

Spatial interpolation method

When you define initial conditions using a method that interpolates between dissimilar meshes, Abaqus
operates by interpolating results from nodes in the old mesh to nodes in the new mesh. For each node:

1. The element (in the old mesh) in which the node lies is found, and the node's location in that element
is obtained. (This procedure assumes that all nodes in the new mesh lie within the bounds of the old
 mesh: warning messages are issued if this is not so.)
2. The initial condition values are then interpolated from the nodes of the element (in the old mesh) to
the new node.
Elements that do not support spatial interpolation include the complete libraries of convective heat transfer
elements, axisymmetric elements with nonlinear axisymmetric deformation, axisymmetric surface
elements, truss elements, beam elements, link elements, hydrostatic fluid elements, solid infinite stress
elements, and coupled thermal/electrical elements. Other specific elements that are not supported include:
GKPS6, GKPE6, GKAX6, GK3D18, GK3D12M, GK3D4L,GK3D6L, GKPS4N, GKAX6N, GK3D18N, GK3D12MN,
GK3D4LN, and GK3D6LN.