Newbie: What are these distracting diagonal lines? Why are they visible or useful? How do I hide them?
Its just excessively distractive and confusing when I add and place multiple of them in an arrangement to use it.
I havent seen them in other items I’ve pulled from 3D Warehouse
Guides. View>Guides.
I am on Sketchup Web/ Free plan.
Where can I do the same?
They are guidelines.
My guess is you downloaded this from the 3DWarehouse…
A lot of models you find there are poorly modeled or just not cleaned up right.
You should always open Them in an empty file so you can inspect them and clean them up before use or simply discard them if it’s not worth your time…
Also inspect for excessive geometry as that can slow down SketchUp.
You can select the guidelines and delete them!
I apologize, I’m moving too quickly and should have caught that in your profile. In the free version you can toggle them here:
As stated, if you don’t need the guides you can just erase them by select and delete or with the eraser tool.
I tried to do an edit component and this comes up:
But I cant seem to select the “guidelines” and delete them?
Your component is not yet open for editing, as evidenced by the blue bounding box. Double click on it or right click and choose edit.
You can also delete all guides from the same place you toggle them off and on.
Thanks. Disabled the guides with Checkmark. (relief for now)
Noticed the Delete all Guides. - Avoiding that until I know if i need them later.
How can I selectively / select some from this Component and delete guide lines? I may be missing some step as “Edit Component” shows me various sub parts, but cant select the lines.
In your screenshot the component is now open, try the eraser tool.
So I used “Edit Component” and the above image shows. The Purple diagonal box selection shows up when I try to select one of the diagonal line that is coming out of the spring and going TOP LEFT direction.
Tried. No Go.
The lines seem to be related to some of the “parts” that were used to build this component.
Check out this video Square One Series: Guides, it may clear up some questions.
Then the parts themselves are also components that need to be opened for editing. Components can be nested within another, sometimes many shells deep. Try this: pick a guide line, and keep double clicking on it until it turns blue, you will have opened as many components deep as you need to get to that level.
And check out the video posted to help orient yourself.
Compare that model to this version of it. I deleted the guides and fixed the reversed faces. I also fixed the camera.
SpringLatch.skp (1.3 MB)
The guides were probably used for laying out the model during construction. They are most likely of no use to you. When you learn to use guides you will make your own for your own purposes (and will likely delete them soon after use).
Another possible explanation is using the Tape Measure with Create Guides turned on accidentally. I’ve done this a bunch of times! 
Thanks all. I’ll try to go deeper into that component and practice and learn these things you all suggested.
Asked here Separately:
Side question: Is it possible to add / use a simple existing pattern via Sketchup Web Free tier? If so how?
https://help.sketchup.com/en/layout/filling-shapes-colors-and-patterns
Cant seem to replicate this? Is there separate HELP guide for Web Free version?
Keep running across this UI difference when I google for any How to…do. and then have to trouble you folks on forums.
You are looking at a LAYOUT help page. SketchUp Free doesn’t include LayOut, which is a separate but complementary software.
You can apply colors and bitmap textures to faces in SketchUp using the paint bucket tool. Check out the learning center.
This was floating around on Trimble SketchUp FB Groups page 2 days ago.
Aaron gives a complete run down of the guide tool in his Square One tutorials.
It is great to just jump in and start messing with a model off of the warehouse, and throw up questions as you get stuck. But taking some time to do some ground-up understanding of what the program is and how it works will save you a whole lot of frustration. It will also give you a framework on which to hang the new information, so you are building an understanding and learning faster. Aaron, Justin (SketchUp essentials) and The SketchUp School (among others) all have great video tutorials on You Tube.
Good luck–it is a wonderful program, and worth the early struggles.
