Geodesic Domes

hey there! i'm happy to see a geodesic dome community on lj! :)
i love domes... i made two of them already since last year.


in the process of taking the big dome down after a festival...
32' diameter - 1 inch emt - 2v


view of the small dome from inside the big dome...
the small dome is 16' diameter - 3/4 inch emt - 2v


and i've recently seen this on the internet:

i think it's really cool, don't you? :D

I've always thought they were great, and really should be more common here in So. Florida.

It's an impractical place to live (if you have to work, or enjoy the company of other people), but Wyoming, has re-doing hometeading, ya just have to have a house built in a year. but, since some of the dome kits can go up in days, working by yourself, it'd be an intereting way to get free land and a vacation home, LOL...s

I'm looking for software that would be suitable for laying out a dome - not only the skin, but the interior walls/floors, cupula, dormers, etc.
While AI Domes has some floorplans available online, they're in 2D DXF format, so not suitable for the type of modifications I want to test out.
For example, I want higher ceilings, like a 9' on the 1st and 2nd floor. This would require either 6' riser walls (instead of the standard 4') or a 2' block wall to support the dome. Since the 2nd floor would be sitting 1' lower in the dome than their drawings, it will be slightly larger and the standard dormers would need to be slightly rethought.

I'm familiar with GeoDome, but it doesn't appear to be nearly as elaborate as I need (only skins).
I'm also familiar with QCAD, and in fact use it for AIdomes' DXF files, but it is 2D only.

I am by no means a geodesic dome expert... in fact I created this community for the discussion of these structures because I'd like to learn more and bounce ideas off others.
I am a member of a (low bandwidth) mailing list of domeowners, but I figured a LiveJournal community would be nice to have as well.

While I've been interested in Geodesic Domes since the '70s, I've only recently gotten to the point where I can consider building one (that is, if I can find a suitable lot that I can afford).

The company I'm most impressed with, due to my extreme dislike of shingles and preference to avoid wood here in termite-heaven, is American Ingenuity Domes.
I'd like to build a 48' main dome connected to (at least) a 34' garage dome, similar to this setup (although its main dome is a 45').
Seeing as how I live in South Florida near the coast, I would also be building a couple shed domes. One for the normal shed stuff, the other for any water processing equipment (such as pool-pumps, etc.) and a full-house generator for when the hurricanes knock the power out for days/weeks(/months?) at a time. Basically, anything noisy that needs to be protected from the elements (and also to sheild the noise).
I'd also want a screen dome off the main dome (including the balcony) enclosing a kidney shaped pool.