sdbox: Install and use

Installation Instructions

1. Download and installation

Follow these steps:

Download the SDBOX trial version for the CAD you use from the SDBOX Free Trial page.
Save the SDBOX_Demo_*CAD_*.exe file wherever you prefer.
If the CAD is open, close it and run the installation file.
The main installer installs the basic SDBOX files. During installation, additional windows open in sequence to download and install the larger auxiliary files.
Wait for all installation stages to finish. Downloading the auxiliary files may take a few minutes, depending on the speed of your Internet connection.
If the download or installation of the auxiliary files is interrupted, open the *\SDBOX folder and double-click zzDownloadZips.exe at any time. This completes the download directly and is usually faster.
An automatic check for the latest available SDBOX version is then performed. If a newer version is available, it is downloaded and installed automatically. During this stage, additional installation windows may also open briefly.

Reinstallation / upgrade

A newer SDBOX version can be installed directly over the existing installation.

If you have modified SDBOX files and want to preserve your changes, first follow the instructions for preserving existing files.

Watch installation tutorial video

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FIRST STARTUP

When you open the CAD for the first time after installation, SDBOX loads automatically.

Wait for the initial loading to complete. SDBOX is ready when its Ribbon tabs or the =sdbox= menu appear.

Once SDBOX has loaded, checks for new versions and subsequent updates are performed automatically whenever a newer version is available.

In every drawing where you want to use SDBOX, select “Load SDBOX” from the =sdbox= Ribbon tab or from the menu.

If SDBOX does not load automatically the first time you open the CAD, see the alternative initial loading method: AutoCAD · BricsCAD · progeCAD · GstarCAD · ZWCAD

If repeated security messages appear while using SDBOX, set the CAD security level to Low.

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USING SDBOX

In every drawing where you want to use SDBOX, select “Load SDBOX” from the =sdbox= Ribbon tab or from the menu. After loading, the SDBOX commands are available in the current drawing.

COMMAND EXECUTION:

You can run SDBOX commands in the following ways:

From the =sdbox= Ribbon or the SDBOX Menu.
Commands are organized into categories according to their purpose and function.
From the CAD Command Line.
At the end of each command description in the Menu, its abbreviation is shown and can be typed directly in the Command Line.
Most abbreviations work in both Greek and English. Where numeric input is expected, English characters are used to avoid confusion between the decimal point and comma.
From the available SDBOX Toolbars.
You can open the Toolbars from the Menu, where “Toolbar” is indicated, or from the CAD toolbar management. The main SDBOX Toolbars are numbered so that they appear in the order of the corresponding SDBOX categories. Additional Toolbars are also available for use during specific commands.

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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

For SDBOX to operate correctly, the following are required:

Windows 10 or Windows 11.
A full CAD version: AutoCAD 2016+ / BricsCAD V20+ / progeCAD 2026+ / GstarCAD 2021+ / ZWCAD 2021+.
The Windows Notepad application.
The decimal separator must be set to the period “.”.

Note:

Several commands create auxiliary files in the folder of the drawing in which they are executed. Do not delete these files, as they are used by SDBOX.

Examples of such files:

World File files: Georeferencing files created by the corresponding image import and export functions.
*.MLL: Contains data required for using the “drawing with points” option.
*.zzview: Contains the names of viewports defined with the ZVM command and used by ZVV.
*.zvk: Contains data for numbered columns, used for retrieval with the ZVK command.
*.zvbl: Contains data for opening tags, used for retrieval with the ZVBL command.
*.yli: Contains the materials list for the NNP command.

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