beamModel = mdb.models['Cantilever Beam') assigns our model, to the beamMOdel-variable. This is so that in future we do not have to keep referring to it as mdb.models('Cantilever Beam') but can in stead just call it beamModel. Look at the 'create the part' block and notice the statement beamProfileSketch = beamModel .ConstrainedSketch(name= 'Beam CS Profile', sheetSize = S) Don't worry about what it means just yet, I only want to point out that if we did not define the variable beamModel, then the same statement would have to be written as: beamProfileSketch = mdb.models(ccantilever Beam']. ConstrainedSketch (name='Beam CS Profile, sheetSize = S)