At just under $9,750, it's not exactly a poor man's laser scanner. But the LT55 "Laser Templator," which is engineered for a narrow function, has a niche that is only defined by its users' imaginations.

The device, shown at the Technology for Construction tradeshow in Las Vegas in mid-January, marries custom CADsoftware on a handheld PC with a Leica DISTO laser measuring tool and a signal processor mounted on a tripod. It captures field measurements accurate to 1/16 in. and can quickly record irregular shapes at distances of up to 600 ft.

The new device is the brainchild of Dan Louis, CEO and owner of Laser Products Industries Inc., Romeoville, IIl. He created it to make electronic templates for measuring, and cutting granite countertops.

Users level the device and pick up pairs of points to define straight lines, such as the wall behind a countertop. Arcs are defined by three points. The software joins the corners and can be instructed to apply chamfers, radiuses, corners and offsets.

The resulting CAD document then is saved as a .DXF file suitable for export to other CAD software, or e-mailing to a fabricator. For more information about the device see www.lasersquare.com.