Sandbox is a desktop-first creative tool. While it works in any browser, a mouse and keyboard are strongly recommended for the best experience. Mobile and touchscreen use is limited.
About the Game
Sandbox is a browser-based creative studio where you design visual scenes from scratch using shapes, images, text, and lines — then bring them to life with animations and present them as slideshows. It's part drawing tool, part presentation builder, part motion designer. Create anything from diagrams and layouts to animated scenes and full slide decks, all without leaving your browser. Your projects are saved locally and can be backed up and restored at any time.
Getting Started
Click "New Project" on the home screen to create a blank canvas
Name your project by clicking the title in the toolbar
Use the toolbar modes to start building your scene
When done, hit Play to preview your project as an animation
Use Playlists to chain multiple projects into a full presentation
Toolbar Modes
🟦 Build (Shift+B) — Click the canvas to place shapes: Rectangle, Square, Circle, Triangle, Plank, Pillar. Pick color, finish, pattern, and border before placing
🖼️ Image (Shift+I) — Drop an image onto the canvas, paste with Ctrl+V, or upload manually. Supports opacity, corner radius, and clip options
✏️ Line (Shift+L) — Drag to draw a line. Set width, style (solid, dashed, dotted), and color
🔤 Text (Shift+T) — Drag to create a text box, double-click to type. Full font, size, color, and alignment controls
✋ Move (Shift+M) — Drag any object to reposition. Rotate with snap to 45° increments
↔️ Stretch (Shift+S) — Drag handles on a selected object to resize. Corner handles resize freely
🗑️ Delete (Shift+D) — Click any object to remove it from the canvas
Shape Options
Each shape can be customized with a finish (Matte, Gloss, Metallic, Neon), a pattern overlay, and a border style. After placing, select a shape to adjust its color, opacity, corner radius, and more from the right panel.
Motion & Animation
Click Motion in the toolbar to open the animation editor
Every object (shapes, images, text, lines) can have its own entrance and exit animation
Choose from a range of animation types, set duration and delay, and control whether objects stay or exit
Use the timeline to stagger animations for cascade effects
Hit Play to preview all animations in sequence
Playlists
Chain multiple projects into a presentation
Set transitions per scene: Cut, Fade Black/White, Slide Left/Right/Up/Down, Zoom In/Out, Wipe Left/Right
Set transition duration per scene
Add audio per scene (record voice or upload) plus a global track for the whole presentation
Click Play Playlist to run the full presentation in fullscreen
Saving & Data
Projects save automatically to your browser's local storage
Use Backup Data to export all projects and playlists to a JSON file
Use Restore to reload from a backup file
Use Download App to save Sandbox itself as a standalone HTML file to run offline
Keyboard Shortcuts
Ctrl+Z — Undo
Ctrl+Y — Redo
Ctrl+C — Copy selected shape
Ctrl+V — Paste shape or image
Shift+B/I/L/T/M/S/D — Switch toolbar modes
Tips
Use Plank and Pillar shapes to build structures, frames, and layouts quickly
Stack shapes with different finishes (Neon on top of Matte) for layered visual effects
Stagger animation delays in the Motion editor for flowing cascade entrances
Record voiceover directly in the Playlist editor for each scene — no external software needed
Download the app as an HTML file to use Sandbox completely offline