Illustrator Angles not Accurate

Question

Can Someone help!Illustrator 2024,  angles are not consistent. If I draw a box, 50mm wide by 25mm high then lock the box so it won't move around. If then draw a line diagonally from the box's bottom left corner to top right corner, Illustrator's tool tip tells me the angle is 26 degrees. But here's the thing - if I discard the diagonal line and instead draw out a  horizonal line, roughly 70mm in length and rotate it to 26 degrees (using Object - Transform - Rotate ), and move the line into the box, it won't bisect the bottom left and top right corner of the box, as the previous line did. But both lines are 26 degrees, or so Illustrator has told me. If I compare the two diagonal lines, the one I discarded and the new one I made, and place them one on top of the other, I can see that they are not quite the same angle. So what is going on? Just to add to the mystery, I have found the same issue in Adobe Illustrator CS6, however, in CS6, if I draw out the exact same box and draw out the exact same diagonal line, the illustrator tool tip tells me the angle is 27 degrees, not 26! I'm beginnig to wonder whether i'm going mad.

Ton Frederiks · Accepted Answer

If I do as in your first screen, the Transform panel shows 26,565° although smart guides indicate 26°.

Jacob Bugge · Answer

Thomas,

"Just to add to the mystery, I have found the same issue in Adobe Illustrator CS6, however, in CS6, if I draw out the exact same box and draw out the exact same diagonal line, the illustrator tool tip tells me the angle is 27 degrees, not 26! "

Using approximate numbers that are rounded for (simplied) information purposes lead to inaccuracy. In this case, the whole number 27 is closer when rounding, whereas 26 is what you get when rounding down (removing the decimal part).

In many cases there is no need to use/copy numbers.

If you wish to accurately reproduce an angle as in the case described, you can simply ClickDrag from corner to corner with the Line Segment Tool and snap to them with Smart Guides saying anchor at both ends, and then you can continue in different ways depending on need and preference.

If you need a line at the same angle and a different length, you can just Click somewhere on the Artboard which will show the (rounded) length and angle, and then you can change the length as desired and just Click again to have the desired new line.

If there is no need to change the length, you can just move the line (or a copy of it by holding Alt/Option) by ClickDragging.

In any case you can use one such line as a guiding line if you wish to rotate something to that angle, using Smart Guides for snapping, still without using (copying of) approximate numbers.

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