1. Select Hub Size: Select "No Hubs" to get the true "chord" length for each strut, which is the full distance for the strut between each geodesic dome vertex. For most dome construction methods, you will use the "No Hubs" selection. With our Zip Tie Domes Hub Design, the geodesic dome vertex is located in the middle of our "Center Ring". When using our Hubs, the width of our Center Ring must be added to the strut length to give the true geodesic dome dimensions. Select Standard 4" Hubs for calculating domes with our 4" Standard Hubs or Dual Covering Hubs, which have a 2.375" Center Ring. These hubs are used with 1" PVC pipe for struts. Select Super 6" Hubs for calculating domes with our new 6" Super Hubs, which have a 3.5" Center Ring. These hubs are used with 1.5" PVC pipe for struts. Select Mega 8" Hubs for calculating domes with our proposed 8" Mega Hubs, which will have a 4.5" Center Ring. These hubs will be used with 2" PVC pipe for struts.

2. Feet or Meters Click the button for "Meters" if you are using metric measurements.

3. Data Entry: Enter a number with or without a decimal fraction in any of the number fields on the left. (For example, enter "5" or "3.3333") Click the Calculate Button. All of the other numbers will be automatically calculated. The Blue Struts are always the longest struts. If you know your longest strut length, enter your data for the longest strut length in the Blue Strut field. To build a strong dome, the longest strut should not be more than 6' long.

Cost Calculation and Material Utilization Chart The default "Length of Pipe" for cutting your struts has been set to 10'. You can change this to 20' or whatever length of pipe you have to cut for your struts. You can also update the "Cost Per Pipe" amount, and click the Calculate field, and the "Total Cost of Materials" amount will be calculated at the bottom of this section. If you are cutting 4' struts, consider using 20' lengths of pipe, as there will be less waste as compared to cutting 4' lengths from 10' pipe.