Adobe ILLUSTRATOR 10 Using Manual page 108

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Rotating the axes is useful if your artwork contains elements that are rotated to the same
angle, such as a logo and text displayed on a 20-degree angle. Instead of rotating each
element you add to the logo, you can simply rotate the axes by 20 degrees. Everything you
draw is created along the new axes.
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x
Object aligned with default axes (left) and axes rotated 20º (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 45º angle.
To rotate the axes:
1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows and Mac OS 9) or Illustrator >
Preferences > General (Mac OS X).
2 In the Constrain Angle text box, enter the angle at which you want the axes rotated.
If you enter a positive number, the axes are rotated counterclockwise. If you enter a
negative number, the axes are rotated clockwise. Then click OK.
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:
Text and objects you draw with the graph tool.
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Scaling, reflecting, and shearing.
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Moving objects with the arrow keys.
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Any objects or operations to which you apply constraint (by holding down Shift while
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performing the action), limiting them to 45-degree multiples relative to the axes.
The angle reported in the Info palette.
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Construction guides, which appear with Smart Guides.
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The following objects and actions are not affected by the new axes:
Objects that already exist.
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Rotating and blending.
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