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FAN CHART

Your Family Tree as a
Fan Chart

Select any person, choose ancestors or descendants, and AncestorOS renders your family tree as a radial fan chart — an elegant alternative to the traditional pedigree view.

Fan Chart
Export
View
Ancestors
Desc.
Root person
W. Kowalski
b. 1921
4
Generations
22
People
W. K. Root Father Mother

Ancestors or descendants — your choice

Toggle between an Ancestors view — which expands outward through parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents — and a Descendants view, which expands outward through children and grandchildren. AncestorOS calculates both automatically from your tree data. Switch between them at any time without leaving the fan chart screen.

View Toggle
Ancestors
Expands back through parents and grandparents
Descendants
Expands forward through children and grandchildren
Both views radiate from the selected root person

Start from any person in your tree

The fan chart is not locked to a single person. Use the search field in the left panel to find and select any family member as the root of the chart. Focus on your great-grandmother to visualize her line, or select a distant cousin to explore a specific branch. The chart recalculates and re-renders instantly for whoever you select.

Person Search
Search any name in your tree…
E
Elsa Kowalski
b. 1924
W
Walter Kowalski
b. 1921 — currently selected
H
Heinrich Kowalski
b. 1891

Export your chart

When your fan chart is ready, use the Export button to save it. Exported charts are useful for printed family histories, digital presentations, sharing with relatives who aren't in AncestorOS, or simply keeping as a visual record of your research. The export captures the full radial chart as rendered on screen.

Export your fan chart
Save and share your radial chart for family histories and presentations

Three steps to your fan chart

No setup needed — the chart builds from your existing tree data.

1

Search for a person

Type a name in the left panel search field to find any person in your family tree. Select them to make them the root of the fan chart. You can change the root person at any time.

2

Choose ancestors or descendants

Toggle to the view you want — Ancestors to see the selected person's direct lineage expanding outward through parents and grandparents, or Descendants to see their children, grandchildren, and further generations expanding outward.

3

Explore and export

View the generation count and total people count in the left panel stats. When you're satisfied with the chart, use the Export button to save it for use in family histories, reports, or sharing with relatives.

Everything the fan chart offers

A radial view of your family that's as useful for presentations as it is for research.

Ancestors and descendants mode

Toggle between two directions: expand back through ancestors or expand forward through descendants — both from the same root person.

Any person as root

Not locked to yourself. Search and select any family member as the chart root to focus on a specific branch or individual line.

Automatic calculation

AncestorOS calculates the chart from your existing tree data — no manual input required. Add more people to your tree and the fan chart reflects them automatically.

Generation and people count

The left panel shows how many generations are in the chart and the total number of people included — at a glance for any root person you select.

Radial layout

A completely different perspective from the traditional top-down pedigree chart. The circular layout makes it easier to visualize how a family expands across generations.

Export button

Export the fan chart directly from the screen. Use it in printed family histories, digital presentations, or share it with relatives who want a visual summary of the family.

Common questions

You can select any person from your tree as the root and toggle between ancestors and descendants view. AncestorOS recalculates and re-renders the chart instantly based on your selection. The left panel shows generation count and people count for the current chart.
The fan chart shows all generations available in your tree data for the selected person. If you have 4 generations of ancestors entered, the chart shows 4. The generation count is displayed in the left panel stats so you can always see at a glance how deep the chart goes.
Yes. Use the Export button in the top bar of the fan chart screen to save the chart. Exported charts can be used in printed family histories, presentations, or shared with relatives.
Yes. The left panel includes a two-option toggle to switch between Ancestors view and Descendants view. In Ancestors mode the chart expands outward through parents and grandparents. In Descendants mode it expands outward through children and grandchildren. Both views radiate from whatever person you have selected as the root.

See your family as a fan chart today

Free plan available. Build your tree and visualize it in minutes.