Family Tree Charting Software (Q)
Mike Scudamore
have seen several threads concerning software. Most of these have been
discussing the merits of particular data base packages (TMG, PAF, ROOTS-IV,
etc.). And although I haven't tried them all to see what all of their
capabilities are, I haven't noticed much discussion concerning the presentation
of the data after it has been accumulated into the data base.
There are two major graphical presentations that I am aware of: 1) The Pedigree
Chart (bottoms-up), and 2) The Descendants Chart (top-down). I am interested in
the later. I currently have almost 750 entries (22 generations) that I would
like to graphically illustrate as a "Family Tree".
I recently tried "GENBOX" that I downloaded from hallc1.cebaf.gov. And although
it is a crippled version, it gave me a pretty good idea of how well it would
work for me. My "chart" was 59 pages wide and 6 pages deep. Taped together,
that would be almost 40 feet wide and 5 feet deep. Not exactly what I was
looking for. I understand that trying to plot up that much data won't fit on an
8.5x11 piece of paper, but I think 354 pages is a little much.
My question is -- What experiences have others had in creating family tree
charts and what is, IYHO, the best software package to generate a classical
family tree with?
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Walt Criteser
>
> There are two major graphical presentations that I am aware of:
> 1) The Pedigree Chart (bottoms-up), and 2) The Descendants
> Chart (top-down).
>
> tree charts and what is, IYHO, the best software package to generate
> a classical family tree with?
>
My tree is not even close to containing the number of generations Mike
has in his tree - not yet. But, I am still interested in quality charts
of both types. I am not satisfied with the quality of wall charts
available using PAF 2.2 (pc). I will be attending a family reunion in
July and I would like to find a program that can generate a quality
graphical wall chart for presentation. I am using an HP Lasertjet IIIsi
printer. If the public domain options are not satisfactory can people
privately contact me about retail software or business services that can
print or plot presentable charts for me for a reasonable price? Someone
told me at the national archives in Seattle that the FHC prints wall
charts - can someone elaborate on this? If there is general interest I
will summarize and repost private messages.
Thanks
Walt Criteser
wal...@microsoft.com
Fred Rump from home
>graphical wall chart for presentation. I am using an HP Lasertjet IIIsi
>printer. If the public domain options are not satisfactory can people
>privately contact me about retail software or business services that can
>print or plot presentable charts for me for a reasonable price? Someone
>told me at the national archives in Seattle that the FHC prints wall
>charts - can someone elaborate on this? If there is general interest I
>will summarize and repost private messages.
Walt recently posted the above message and distributed responses to those
interested. Since none of the respondents mentioned the Computerized Chart
Service in Reston, VA, it may be useful to present it here.
I've not used this service but they advertise in Genealogical Computing and
claim to be able to do up to 40 generations or 270 people per generation on a
36" x 48" chart. Cost for this size chart is $44 in black, red, green or blue
ink. Copies are cheaper as are smaller charts. They will also make larger
charts at 'customized' prices. All they require is a GEDCOM file.
Strangely they offer no phone number but their address is:
Dept. GC43
11733 Indian Ridge Road
Reston, VA 22091
On this subject, Steve Wood and Jim Eggert posted today in the Lines list. I
will take the liberty and post their comments here:
***************************************************************************
Sender: LifeLines Genealogical System <LIN...@vm1.nodak.edu>
From: "Stephen A. Wood" <s...@hallc1.cebaf.gov>
Subject: Ideas for postscript charts
Tom Blumer (blu...@ptltd.com) has just released a beta test version of a
program which makes pedigree charts (with siblings of all ancestors) or
pedigree fan charts. The program will make charts for postscript as well as
some other kinds of laser printers. It takes GEDCOM files as input. I
don't use Lifelines yet, but I tried it out on GEDCOM from PAF and it made
some really nice charts. (It can also make charts as unreadable as you want
by increasing the number of generations. 7 looks great, 8 would be better on
paper larger than 8.5x11.)
The program is DOS only and is available on hallc1.cebaf.gov (the anonymous
ftp genealogy archive) as /genealogy/programs/gedchart.zip.
***************************************************************************
It would seem the above program can do a similar job as the Chart Service if
the equipment is available. Since I have access to a plotter, I wonder if such
an animal can understand postscript or if Tom's program knows how to plot on
its own. (I know zip about plotting).
Jim is dreaming about his perfect chart:
*********************************************************************
Sender: LifeLines Genealogical System <LIN...@vm1.nodak.edu>
From: Jim Eggert x6127 g41 <egg...@atc.ll.mit.edu>
For those who are better at Postscript than I am, here are a couple of
ideas for charts:
An ancestry fan-chart. Sometimes I see an ancestral chart drawn in a
fan-shape. The fan extends over an angular extent of W (perhaps 225
to 270) degrees, with a chosen person at the center. Each preceding
generation gets an annular region of constant radial extent (say A
inches) within the fan. Because the number of ancestors in generation
N grows as 2^N, the angular extent for each person shrinks as W / 2^N
degrees. But the linear extent is like A*N*2*PI*W/360*2^N, so it
shrinks somewhat more slowly. The problem with this chart is that you
have to write the names in at various angles, so it really requires
something like Postscript.
A real ancestral tree chart. With a real tree picture on it, and
people's names on leaves. This would be sort of neat.
***********************************************************************
For now, the nicest chart I'm familiar with is Stephen Woodbridge's
(s...@pcbu.prime.com) postscript report program for the LifeLines system. But
again, the paper in the laser is simply too small to give justice to more
generations which require a bigger chart.
There seems to be demand but the supply is rather meager. The sample charts of
the Chart Service are nothing like what Jim proposes above. One would think
that some hot-shot programmer could do something like it and actually get paid
for it. :-)
And now back to whatever we were doing a moment ago ...
Fred
--
W. Fred Rump office: fr...@COMPU.COM "Home to a boy is merely like
26 Warren St. home: f...@icdi10.compu.com a filling station" (He's 25)
Beverly, NJ. 08010
609-386-6846 bang:uunet!cdin-1!icdi10!fr
brenda.l.harris
>wal...@microsoft.com (Walt Criteser) writes:
>
>>graphical wall chart for presentation. I am using an HP Lasertjet IIIsi
>
>interested. Since none of the respondents mentioned the Computerized Chart
>Service in Reston, VA, it may be useful to present it here.
>
>I've not used this service but they advertise in Genealogical Computing and
>claim to be able to do up to 40 generations or 270 people per generation on a
>36" x 48" chart. Cost for this size chart is $44 in black, red, green or blue
>ink. Copies are cheaper as are smaller charts. They will also make larger
>charts at 'customized' prices. All they require is a GEDCOM file.
>
>Strangely they offer no phone number but their address is:
service to do a decendant chart. Their ad says their decendant chart
does not include spouses. I need one for a family reunion, and what
good does it do without spouses? If anyone knows of a service that
provides spouses on a decendant chart, please let me know.
Brenda L. Harris
attmail!blharris