Using Sketchup Software to Build a Geodesic Dome

Building a Geodesic Dome Using Sketchup Software

Read the full blog on Sketchup's Blog Page 

Here: http://bit.ly/2o2K9Fk

Here is an excerpt from the blog:

Actually, the point of our exhibit -- besides being a practice run for a future Burning Man  trip -- was to prove that SketchUp makes planning and building team DIY projects easier and more fun. We enlisted the help of our good pal Eric Schimelpfenig of sketchthis.netand set out to turn a pile of PVC pipe into two huge geodesic domes and some comfortable furniture.

Here’s how we pulled it off: After exploring geodesic designs on 3D Warehouse -- and a lot of discovery on Domerama -- we jumped into SketchUp for conceptual design. Satellite imagery for our site plan demonstrated that two twenty-foot diameter domes would fit perfectly, and a simple massing model proved that 3V ⅝ domes -- with their extra headroom -- would provide plenty of height and floor space for people and furniture.

Once we knew the defining characteristics of our dome, we churned out the strut lengths using a geodesic calculator and then advanced the design using Dynamic Components to create a fabricated model. From there, we employed generate reportand some spreadsheet magic to crank out a cut-list for our PVC stockpile from Home Depot.