The hole was of simple enough shape that I could just design it manually. I used SCAD, which is kind of a programming language supported by some tools that can convert it to STL.
I've personally used the Lidar sensors on my iPhone with an app like Polycam to some degree of success. I was doing a scan of a massive oak tree in my backyard to plan out the treehouse tab location and associated treehouse for my kids but fell flat after the model was created (Sketchup is truly enshittified). I'd imagine a similar process for creating the "fill" for the void in the wall.
Thanks, appreciate the recommendation! Polycam looks pretty pricy - is the subscription necessary for casual scanning, or does the free version work? I assume I would need at least the basic subscription.
I’m happy to pay for software, but I really don’t care for subscriptions. (Why no, holding back the tide is not going well at all, why do you ask?)
The only criticism I’d make is that patching drywall is dead simple and cheap and so your solution seems possibly a bit overengineered (and, while I’m at it, that Andreesen’s observation is both facile and meaningless and is probably a reflection more of the bids Marc Andreesen’s house manager gets than anything insightful about labor costs in America).