Frequently Asked Questions

This can happen when more than one CAD application or a DWG viewer is installed. Windows opens the SDBOX first-load DWG with the program currently associated with DWG files; this may not be the CAD application for which you installed SDBOX.

To complete the first loading:

1. Close the CAD application or DWG viewer that opened automatically.
2. Open the CAD application for which you installed SDBOX.
3. Type APPLOAD at the command line.
4. Browse to C:\sdbox_Tools, select _CADsdbox.lsp, click Load, and close the dialog.
5. If a security prompt appears, choose Allow or Always Load.

Manual startup (one-time procedure):

1. AutoCAD 2014-202x (security settings): Type SECURELOAD at the command line and set the value to 0 (only if required by your security configuration).
2. Type APPLOAD at the command line.
3. Browse to C:\SDBOX_Tools, select _CADsdbox.lsp, click Load, and close the dialog.

SDBOX will load and the Welcome screen will appear. After this initial setup, start SDBOX normally from the Menu, the Ribbon (=sdbox=), or the SDBOX toolbar.

If the issue persists, contact us here.

SDBOX is available in modern workspaces (for example, Drafting & Annotation). In the AutoCAD Classic (2012-2014) workspace, the Menu may need to be added manually. If you need assistance, contact us here.

The shortcut launches AutoCAD and loads SDBOX automatically for the first run. You can still start SDBOX from within AutoCAD regardless of how AutoCAD was launched.

In each drawing, press Start (SDBOX start) from the Ribbon, the Menu, or the SDBOX toolbar to activate SDBOX for that drawing.

This indicates that SDBOX has not been started in the current drawing yet. Run Start from the SDBOX Menu and the full Menu will become available.

This design helps you clearly see which drawings have SDBOX activated.

The active SDBOX print scale is continuously displayed in the lower-left area of the drawing screen.

Run ZONELAY - it transfers objects to a target Layer while preserving their visual properties.

Run LLOL - it highlights the selected Layer and reports the number and types of objects it contains.

No issue. Insert the USB key into any USB port and continue working; command execution will proceed normally.

Use PP. Select a point on the reference line, choose the side, define the length, and SDBOX draws the perpendicular automatically.

If the scan has a grid:

1. Draw one vertical and one horizontal grid line and offset them to the grid spacing.
2. Run ZMRS using as many clear reference points as possible.

If the scan has no grid but includes written dimensions:

Run ZIMDD and scale the image using the known side dimensions.

If the scan has neither grid nor readable dimensions:

Run ZMRS using as many reliable match points as possible between the scan and reality.

Use ZMRS. It supports move, rotate and scale using as many points as you need.

Use ZNM (for text numbers) or ZNMB (for numbers inside blocks). Set decimals as required and enable Display + for positives.

Use TTT (Text Editor):

1. Enable the Layer option and select DIM.
2. Select objects (type ALL).
3. In Add text to the right, enter the suffix (for example, m.) and click OK.

If the Layer contains mixed content (not only numbers), use additional filters within TTT to target only the required items.

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Use ZCH (Change):

1. Enable Text and the phrase-search option.
2. Select objects (type ALL).
3. Enter the phrase (for example, 10A) to filter results.
4. Enable Color and set the desired color.

Yes. Use TTMT.

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First decide your Layer structure and create the target Layers. Then use ZCH (Change) with filters to isolate each category and move it to the correct Layer.

Examples:

• Move all texts: enable Text and MText.
• Move texts with a specific TextStyle (e.g., Arial): enable Text, MText, and set TextStyle to Arial.
• Target similar items: use Select with same.

Use SDD to toggle Layer visibility.

SDD reads one of five configuration files (SDD1...SDD5) that store the Layer names to toggle.

1. Copy the name of the Layer that contains the image.
2. Run ZVFE, choose an empty SDD file (e.g., SDD3), paste the Layer name, and save.
3. From now on, typing SDD will toggle the image Layer open/closed.

You can list multiple Layers in the same SDD file to toggle them as a group.

Yes. Use ZCIMD.

SDBOX plot styles are located in \\SDBOX\zzPlot_Styles. Copy the *.ctb files to your CAD plot styles folder so they appear in Plot/Print settings.

Use ZDFS:

1. Insert the image into the drawing (any size).
2. Run ZDFS.
3. Select a known distance on the image (grid or written dimension).
4. Specify the desired print scale for the image.
5. Confirm the print scale for the rest of the drawing.
6. Select the image and the reference point for scaling.

For topographic workflows, you can also use ZDFP for automated excerpt creation (street plan excerpt, orthophoto map, DE/TE, etc.).

Yes. Use ZAA. Select a point inside the region to calculate the area automatically. You can also insert the area as text if required.

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Use ZAA and select a point inside the region. The area is calculated automatically.

In addition to the Area/Sides factors, ZID also uses a global factor named Character height in the first tab. This factor affects vertex size as well as side and area text sizes.

Set the correct Character height once (in any scale). After that, SDBOX will suggest correct factors automatically for new drawings and any scale.

Property Data

Run DMLL, click OK, then search points normally by typing their code.

Type CONVERTPSTYLES, press Enter, and the CTB options should appear correctly.

Follow this procedure:

1. Run ZDAM and place one sample dimension on any existing Layer.
2. Delete the sample dimension. This inserts the SDBOX Dimension Style, which scales correctly based on the selected print scale.
3. Run ZZSA, enable the Dimension option, click OK, and select all Dimensions.
4. Open Properties and set all Dimensions to use the SDBOX dimension style.

Recommended cleanup actions when receiving external drawings:

• TT0 (delete empty texts) and LL0 (delete zero-length lines).
• ZZ0 (move all objects to Z=0) when 3D objects are not required.
• ZCHL (dynamic LTSCALE adjustment) when aligning with an XREF workflow.
• ZCS (scale from insertion center) to quickly adjust text and block sizes.
• ZCDIM (detect dimensions with non-real values).

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Use T2F to export texts to a Word (*.doc) file, then run spell check in Word. If you need to locate and correct text inside the drawing, use TTT (Text Editor) to find phrases and apply bulk corrections.

Yes. Use ZDDAS (AutoCAD-style dimensions) or ZDDAT (simple text dimensions).

Use ZPFL. Select a file (*.txt, *.xls, etc.) and SDBOX draws a table using Text and Lines based on the file contents.

Yes. Legends can include all objects in the drawing. You can also update the explanation files so descriptions are recorded automatically.

Create your title drawing inside \\SDBOX\zzTitloi (or the folder you have defined for zzTitloi).

Use TCDS to place codes inside the title block, then insert it with ZTITLOI so the block updates automatically.

Title drawings should be drawn at scale 1:1000 to insert correctly. You can start from an existing template.

After finishing, run the AutoCAD mslide command so the preview image appears in the ZTITLOI tab.