Puncher Heraldry Program

Heraldic designs

Heraldry and genealogy seem to go hand in hand these days. Like many people keen on their family history, I uncovered the description of the coat of arms of a well-to-do ancestor and wanted to see what it looked like. The internet contains many sources of information on heraldry that allowed me to do that, including the excellent Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry by James Parker, and Robert Billard’s Blazons! 2000 shareware program. So why add another piece of heraldry software?

The aim of the Puncher Heraldry Program (PHP) is slightly different in that it is designed to allow the user to experiment without necessarily knowing the heraldic terms or how to express them in the correct syntax. Simply select from the various options below, and your design is drawn and described at the click of a button. The simple rule is that for each section that you want to emblazon (ie Field, Ordinary, Chief etc.) you must make a choice from every selection box in that row. So in the Field if you would like to draw a shield with a partition you must choose an option from all three lists, whereas for a Field with a plain tincture there is only one selection to make. You can draw either a small or large image by using the two upper buttons. Alternatively, to get you started why not press the 'Draw random shield' button a few times to see how things work.

Currently the easy interface limits the PHP to simpler coats of arms, but it is hoped that later improvements to the software will allow more complex emblazoning. My knowledge of heraldry is both new and limited, so suggestions and comments are always welcome.

Update August, 2003 : Now able to draw arms in 3d

Field	Either tincture
	or pattern
	or partition
Ordinary	(optional)
Bordure	(optional)
Chief	(optional)
Draw in 3d

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