1. A method of automatically determining the limits of a gradient pulse sequence defined along at least two functional gradient axes and stored in an electronic computer in an MRI system having at least two orthogonal gradient coils along physical gradient axes each having a maximum gradient amplitude of h, functional gradient axes being used to acquire an oblique MRI image, and angled with respect to the physical gradient axes as defined by an orthogonal rotation matrix also stored in the electronic computer, the method comprising the steps of: employing the electronic computer to (a) determine the maximum absolute row sum of the orthogonal rotation matrix; (b) produce a target amplitude T by dividing the maximum gradient amplitude h by the maximum absolute row sum; and (c) employing T to indicate the maximum gradients along the functional gradient axes as may be manifest in limits of: field of view, slice thickness, spatial resolution and acquisition time.