In some scenarios, it's useful to convert an assembly of parts into a single part file. This is different than merge modeling. The components do not need to be merged together, I just want a single part file with all the datums and items in the feature trees of the assembled parts. This is useful for creating robust backups that will not be affected by design changes in lower level components, quickly concepting part consolidation designs, and making certain add ins like Simulate more robust by eliminating the geometric references necessary for the assembly. Implementation wise, it just needs a save as .prt option in the save a copy menu, similar to saving as iges or step. Other CAD tools like Solidworks have had this for a long time and it doesn't seem very technically challenging to implement.
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