What software do you use with a laser measure to make a floor plan or blueprint?
And if you have a laser measure you like please recommend.
Do you use a regular laser measure (or tape measure?) and type in the measurements?
Or do you use a blutooth laser measure? What is a good combination of laser measure and software?
There are a few free 2d CAD programs around. I am not too familiar with them (mostly used pro stuff, and a few years back) but I'd probably be looking at Solid Edge 2d, Sketchup, or LibreCAD. Edge being the only one I'm kinda familiar with (from their 3d software)
But for very simple 2d blueprints, the software really doesn't matter that much, as long as the outcome is clear. You could pretty much use Paint, or draw something by hand.
But for anything slightly more detailed (but still not pro), the things that I would want to be able to do quickly and easily are:
-sketch out some lines while typing in dimensions
-easily add/change dimensions later
-automatic snapping to right angles, existing points, aligning with existing points, and easily offsetting from existing points.
What you wanna be able to do is draw out a rough estimate of your room, add whatever dimensions you know/estimate as you go, but add the others in as you know them. I'd test it out by drawing something like a rectangular room and seeing how easy it feels to mess with.
Usually this should be easy, but then you wanna see what happens if you extend one wall. Does the opposite side also extend, do you end up with a triangular shaped room, or do the lines completely disconnect? How do you unfix the opposite length, or fix the angle, or lock the lines together in order to prevent that? And how do you make sure these things happen (or don't happen) while you are doing the initial sketch?
Then try and turn it into an L-shaped room. Can you easily trim an existing wall and extend another? Or do you have to delete the existing line and redraw a smaller one?
Then try and add some circles and other shapes here and there. Maybe round off existing corners, and try to add a circle in the middle of one section of the room.
That can be a 5 minute test of what it's gonna be like using the program more.
If drawing straight lines and circles feels easy and precise, you can do pretty much anything. And any CAD should be able to manage this, with their own little quirks.
Mario Paint is excellent for CAD design.
If specific to brands, I have the Bosch PLR50 with their app but found it so clunky I never bothered using it for any real drawings. More reliable to measure, hand sketch, then CAD model. I suspect other apps from other brands are better
I have a few laser units, not the most accurate even my Leica one. I still use my trusted tape measure.
For 2D drawing I like to use my iPad. I use Shapr3D and morpholio trace. Trace is excellent at floor plans and the pro version have scaling features. I can use an old photo or sketch and scale it and add my own stuff.
If you have a free Microsoft Visio installation with your Microsoft Office (some professional packs include this, but most home packs don't) then you can create a rectangle and then tell Visio the exact dimensions of that rectangle. It's a coarse way of doing it but can give you a reasonable approximation of your home layout.
We have this one and it's great.
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07RQKZC2T