  We study a general class of log-gas ensembles on (shifted) quadratic
lattices. We prove that the corresponding empirical measures satisfy a law of
large numbers and that their global fluctuations are Gaussian with a universal
covariance. We apply our general results to analyze the asymptotic behavior of
a $q$-boxed plane partition model introduced by Borodin, Gorin and Rains. In
particular, we show that the global fluctuations of the height function on a
fixed slice are described by a one-dimensional section of a pullback of the
two-dimensional Gaussian free field.
  Our approach is based on a $q$-analogue of the Schwinger-Dyson (or loop)
equations, which originate in the work of Nekrasov and his collaborators, and
extends the methods developed by Borodin, Gorin and Guionnet to quadratic
lattices.
