Getting Started
Create your first genogram in 5 minutes
This guide will walk you through creating your first genogram with GenogramAI. Whether you're a therapist, social worker, genealogist, or researcher, you'll be mapping families in no time.
Watch: Getting Started with GenogramAI (3 min)
Step-by-Step Guide
Create Your First Person
Click the 'Add Person' button in the toolbar or press the + icon. Choose from 8 gender options (Male, Female, Transgender Male/Female, Nonbinary, Intersex, Unknown, Other) to create your first family member.
Tips:
- The first person you add is typically the 'index person' - the main subject of the genogram
- You can mark someone as the index person in the Inspector panel
- Double-click any person to open the Inspector and edit their details
- Set life status: Alive, Deceased, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Abortion
Add Family Members
Select a person to reveal the Quick-Add buttons. Click the directional buttons to add partners (left/right), parents (up), or children (down).
Tips:
- UP arrow: Adds both parents with a marriage connection
- DOWN arrow: Adds a child connected to the selected person
- LEFT/RIGHT arrows: Add a partner with a marriage line
- The AI can also generate entire family structures from text descriptions
- Support for twins (fraternal and identical) with V-shaped connections
Create Relationships
Use the Connection tool (C) to draw relationship lines between people. Choose from 17 structural relationship types and 7 child connection types.
Tips:
- 15 relationship types: Marriage, Divorce, Separation (3 types), Annulment, Widowed, Cohabitation, Engagement, Dating, Life Partner, Affair, One-night Stand, Rape, Parent-Child
- 7 child types: Biological, Adopted, Foster, Step, Surrogate, Sperm Donor, Egg Donor
- Use the Emotional tool (E) to add 25 emotional overlays
- The system auto-detects relationship types based on generation level
Add Details
Select any person and use the Inspector panel to add names, dates, medical conditions (4 customizable quadrants), heritage patterns, religion, social class, location, and more.
Tips:
- Birth/death year and month for precise timelines
- 4 customizable medical quadrants - set your own labels
- 11 heritage patterns with 6+ color options
- 8 sexual orientation options available
- 14 node stroke colors for visual organization
Save & Export
Your genogram auto-saves to the cloud when logged in. Export as PNG (high-res), JSON (data backup), or access raw SVG.
Tips:
- All data is encrypted with AES-GCM before storage
- PNG exports are 2x resolution for printing
- JSON exports can be re-imported or improved by AI
- 3 auto-layout algorithms: Hierarchical, Force-directed, Compact
Quick Reference
Essential Shortcuts
Click and drag to select people
Hold to pan around the canvas
Box select multiple people
Create structural relationships
Add emotional overlays (23 types)
Remove selected elements
Undo last action
Redo last action
Gender Symbols (8 Types)
Quick-Add Buttons
Prefer AI? Use the Family Architect
Instead of manually creating each person, you can describe your family in plain English and let AI generate the entire genogram for you.