Setting up panel round corrals usually went something like this: get an idea of where it should sit, start connecting panels in a roughly circular pattern, find out the ends didn't quite meet exactly, then wrestle panels until they finally came together. Most of the time the corral ended up having a tear drop shape, or a flat part.
One day, while hefting panels around in the pouring rain, it seemed there should be an easier, better way. What if, instead of panels, the round pen was to be using posts and rails? It sure wouldn't be much fun wrestling post holes around trying to get a nicely shaped corral.
The rain continued for a few days, so staying inside seemed like a good idea. It was an excuse to work on creating a computer program that would help with the round pen projects. Quite a few changes and versions later the program became RoundPenGen.
The time came when it was necessary to resize and relocate another round pen. After using RoundPenGen to determine the number of panels and the radius needed for the corral, it was out, into another rainy day, to put the program to test. In less than an hour 14 panels and a gate were assembled and there was less than a two inch gap between the first and last panels. And the round corral was ROUND!
The best things in life are free. The next best thing is receiving a donation from someone who found RoundPenGen useful.
