About Collapsing Geometry into Various Types of Target Features
You can collapse features and the geometric entities of models into one of the following features selected as the target:
• Independent geometry feature
• Incremental geometry feature
• Standard or neutral import feature
To collapse geometry, you can first select the target feature and then the features to collapse, such as datum and geometric entities, before you click > > 
Collapse. You can, alternatively, click > > Collapse, select the target feature, and then the features to collapse on the Model Tree.
Collapse. You can, alternatively, click > > Collapse, select the target feature, and then the features to collapse on the Model Tree.The Collapse dialog box that opens enables you to select the following set of features to collapse:
• The features that contribute geometry to a solid geometry or quilt.
• All features between the first and the last selected features of a contiguous range of features on the Model Tree that contribute geometry to a solid or quilt.
Based on the set of features selected for the collapse, the selection automatically expands to include additional features and geometry to collapse as needed, such as the members of a pattern or the surfaces of a quilt. The automatically-selected features may be located before or after the features you selected for the collapse on the Model Tree. All the selected features and geometry are highlighted.
When you click OK in the Collapse dialog box, the highlighted features are moved into the imported feature or the independent or incremental geometry feature selected as the target feature for the collapse.
You can collapse geometry into curve-type import features, but you cannot collapse geometry into facet type import features though the geometry selected for collapse can include facet features. Selecting a target feature and a solid feature collapses all other solid features of the part model into the target feature.
Depending on the set of features selected for the collapse, the following types of collapsed features are created:
• An independent geometry feature when all the features selected for the collapse contributing geometry to a solid or quilt.
• An incremental geometry feature when a contiguous range of features that contributes geometry to a solid or quilt is selected. However, the first selected feature of the range should not be the first geometric feature of the model.
After the collapse, the target features retain their feature IDs. The import profile settings and the layer import and filter details of the target features are preserved. You can use Import DataDoctor to modify the geometry of the imported features and the independent geometry features.
You can no longer individually select the collapsed geometry. The collapsed features lose their parametric properties, parent-child relationships, and their layer assignments. You cannot transfer feature relations and feature-level parameters to the imported features. Features with driving dimension annotations lose their driving dimension annotation elements. However, the collapsed features retain their feature and entity IDs and maintain their references. Their entity-level parameters and the Associative Topology Bus link information are preserved.
You cannot collapse geometry in the following environments and contexts:
• SheetMetal Design
• Manufacturing
• Cabling
• Parts that contain user-defined simplified representations
• Parts with family tables defined
• Family table instance parts and assemblies
• Assembly-level holes and cut features
• Models with Pro/PROGRAM defined