Additional XYZ axis attached to imported object

Support Basics & Interface
1

I created an object in Microstation V8i. From there I applied all my materials, made it look pretty, etc. From there I exported it into Sketchup. From there I exported it as a .dae file.

After importing that into Blender it retained all it’s pretty materials but added an additional XYZ axis and a dotted line that’s about 100 times longer than my object is. My object also imported at some absurdly large scale. This additional dotted line and axis have made it impossible to work with this object.

Is there a solution or am I going to be forced to find a program that doesn’t randomly produce asinine problems?

2

Now it’s decided to start randomly make different sections uneditable. I click on one vertex and half of the model adds itself as though it was a previous selection. Nothing is consistant from one minute to the next other than the extra XYZ axis is there screwing things up.

A pox upon the idiot that coded this and may you get coal in your stocking this Christmas

3

If you attach the .blend file in question one of us may be able to help you. This problem is impossible to diagnose from verbal description.

4

I can’t attach the .blend due to it being 3.3 megs in size. If I can find a way to make the file size smaller or somebody suggest how to do that then I’ll get it up.

EDIT:
The additional element is somehow tied to a local XYZ axis. By making it rotate around the 3D cursor I can work with it well enough to be somewhat productive.

While working with this particular element I might as well keep asking questions. I know there is a way to convert triangles to quads but I can’t get it to work. I know it’s something simple and it’s entirely user error. It’s frustrating knowing that it’s not hard but I can’t locate the information, yet. So if anybody can get me pointed the right way I’ll keep on educating myself or get torqued off enough that I find a better way to do this.

ADDITIONAL EDIT:
Is there a way to make the snaps more intelligent than a retarded pitbull? It’s a simple thing, click on a corner and click ona corner while moving and things align. Is this too much to ask?

5

Thanks to the fantastic 2.5 tutorial at http://gryllus.net/Blender/3D.html that was released over the weekend all of these questions have been answered.

Shift+S = snaps
The screwball element was an object origin that came from the model being imported into Sketchup not at the correct cartesian coordinates.