Is there any simple vector drawing application that can let me make rough sketches with arbitrary units?
For example, I want to be able to draw a rectangle that is exactly 2’6 x 12".
If I scale it by 50% it should be 15" x 6". I want to be able to measure distances. I don’t want to keep track of a scale/conversion/ratio in my head, that’s a perfect job for computer.
In the old Sketchup software (RIP) you could type the measurements in while drawing or manipulating objects. It was extremely fast and intuitive. I don’t need 3d modelling; it was just a great UI.
All I can find is CAD and it is way overkill. Not gonna design a cotton gin or a circuit board. I just want to make a simple floor plan to see if the furniture would fit the way I want to arrange it. Or estimate material requirements for projects.
Desired features: Layers, customizable/smart keyboard shortcuts, colors, rectangle circle lines, transform/scale/skew/rotate, group/lock objects, rulers grids guide snapping.
anything?
For furniture/house design, there is Sweet Home 3D. Otherwise, Blender can work for most of your desired features. Though both have 3D features that would be overkill, but they’re not that intensive for basic tasks as you ask.