Rotating the x and y axesBy default, the x and y axes are parallel to the horizontal and vertical sides of the document window. You can rotate the axes by specifying an angle of constraint in the General Preferences dialog box. Rotating the axes is useful if your artwork consists of elements that are rotated to the same angle, such as a logo and text displayed on a 20° angle. Instead of rotating each element you add to the logo, you can simply rotate the axes by 20°. Everything you draw is created along the new axes. ![]() Object aligned with default axes (left) compared to with axes rotated 20° (right) You can then use the Shift key to constrain the movement of one or more objects so that they move in a precise horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction relative to the current orientation of the x and y axes. ![]() Hold down Shift while dragging or drawing to limit movement to the nearest 45° angle. To rotate the axes:
The rotation of the axes is saved in the Preferences file; it therefore affects new artwork in all files until you change its value or delete the Preferences file. The following objects and actions are aligned along the new axes: The following objects and actions are not affected by the new axes: |