diff --git a/python/damask/solver/abaqus.py b/python/damask/solver/abaqus.py
index 037829013..4c5f820d7 100644
--- a/python/damask/solver/abaqus.py
+++ b/python/damask/solver/abaqus.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import damask
 class Abaqus(Solver):
     """Wrapper to run DAMASK with Abaqus."""
 
-    def __init__(self,version=None):
+    def __init__(self,version=damask.Environment().options['ABAQUS_VERSION']):
         """
         Create a Abaqus solver object.
     
@@ -21,19 +21,16 @@ class Abaqus(Solver):
         try:
             self.version = int(version)
         except TypeError:
-            try:
-                self.version = int(damask.Environment().options['ABAQUS_VERSION'])
-            except TypeError:
-                self.version = -1
+            self.version = -1
 
     def return_run_command(self,model):
         try:
             cmd = 'abq{}'.format(self.version)
             subprocess.check_output([cmd,'information=release'])
-        except OSError:                                                                                 # link to abqXXX not existing
+        except OSError:                                                                             # link to abqXXX not existing
             cmd = 'abaqus'
             process = subprocess.Popen([cmd,'information=release'],stdout = subprocess.PIPE,stderr = subprocess.PIPE)
             detectedVersion = int(process.stdout.readlines()[1].split()[1].decode('utf-8'))
-            if self.version != detectedVersion:
+            if self.version not in [detectedVersion,-1]:
                 raise Exception('found Abaqus version {}, but requested {}'.format(detectedVersion,self.version))
         return '{} -job {} -user {}/src/DAMASK_abaqus interactive'.format(cmd,model,damask.Environment().rootDir())
diff --git a/python/damask/solver/marc.py b/python/damask/solver/marc.py
index a30ce7aea..f7dda9c37 100644
--- a/python/damask/solver/marc.py
+++ b/python/damask/solver/marc.py
@@ -23,10 +23,7 @@ class Marc(Solver):
         try:
             self.version = int(version)
         except TypeError:
-            try:
-                self.version = int(damask.Environment().options['MARC_VERSION'])
-            except TypeError:
-                self.version = -1
+            self.version = -1
 
 
 #--------------------------