Create a Sim

Create-A-Sim (affectionately known as CAS) is where Sims are made.

The Sims
In The Sims, the 'Create A Sim' button is located as the very top left of the Neighbourhood Screen and is labelled as 'Create A Family'. After clicking this button, you are taken to the Family Bin where you can choose from pre-made Sim families or click one of the tabs that reads 'Create a new family...'. When you click this tab, you are allowed to create your first Sim family.

Firstly, you are asked to choose a family name for your Sims. All Sims created per household must share the same family name. Click the plus button (represented by a 'plus' symbol) to add a Sim to the family. You can create a maximum of 8 Sims per family. When a Sim is added to the family, he or she is represented by a thumbnail displaying that Sim's face. To delete a Sim, click that Sim's thumbnail and click the delete button which is represented by a 'thrashcan' symbol. Sims can be edited by clicking on the thumbnail for the desired Sim and then clicking the 'pencil with eraser symbol' located between the 'Add A Sim' and 'Delete A Sim' tabs.

Adding A Sim
When clicking the 'Add A Sim' button, you are taken to another screen. At the very top centre of a screen, a text box is displayed asking you to enter your Sim's first name. Underneath this on the left side of the screen, you can customise your Sim's personality. This is represented by five personality traits: Neat, Outgoing, Active, Playful and Nice. Each of these personality traits run on a scale of 0-10 and the player must assign up to 25 of the personality points amongst the five basic personality traits. Above these traits, the player can also choose a Sim's zodiac sign which will automatically assign personality points to each of the five traits. Assigning personality points to each of the traits also results in determining your Sims' zodiac signs. Unlike later additions to the series, a person does not need to assign all of the 25 personality points to their Sim.

In the middle of the screen, you must choose 3 options for your Sims. You must select their skin colour (light, tanned or dark), their age (adult or child) and their gender (male or female). This is far more basic than the 'Create A Sim' in later additions. Unlike in The Sims 2, you can not create Sims of the toddler, teenager, young adult or elder age.

On the very right hand corner of the screen, you are given a pre-made Sim and can customise his or her appearance by changing their age, skin colour and gender in the middle of the screen. Beside The Sim's head, you can use the arrows left or right of the Sim's head to change that Sim's basic head. There are arrows located either side of the Sim's body to change that Sim's basic body. Unlike later editions to the series, you cannot go into in-depth customisation of your Sims' physical appearance, only being able to choose from a number of heads for your Sim and a number of bodies. As expansion packs for the Sims' are installed, more heads and bodies are added to the game. Heads come with their own basic hairstyle while bodies come with their own basic clothes. Hairstyles and clothes cannot be customised individually.

Finally at the bottom of the screen, there is a large text box which allows you to write a brief biography about your Sim. The biography can be updated later at any time during the Live Mode stage of gameplay. Click the 'Done' button to save your Sim to the family screen.

The Sims 2
In The Sims 2, the CAS button is revealed by clicking the family bin at the bottom of the screen. As opposed to The Sims, any age besides Baby or Young Adult (which must be made in the University CAS) may be created. Instead of having to choose from already finished faces attached to a corresponding hair, greater variety is possible with the new feature of being able to alter the facial structure (such as widen nose, thin lips, elongate chin etc.) and choose any hairstyle to go with it. Different eye colors and an additional skin tone is available for your Sims as well. If the Sim you are creating is older than a child, their Aspiration and Turn-ons/offs (Nightlife and further EPS) may be determined. Personality is set in basically the same manner as The Sims.

After several Sims are created, the family tree must be organized. All Toddlers, Children, and Teens must be related to at least one Adult member of the household. You can't link (using the family tree tool) a Child to Elder without an Adult in the family.

Steps on how to create a Sim/family

 * 1) Once in Neighborhood view, click the 'Families' icon and select 'Create a Family'.
 * 2) Enter your family's last name and select 'Create a Sim'.
 * 3) You will now see a random Sim model. You can alter the appearance and personality of your Sim later.
 * 4) Enter your Sim's first name, indicate whether your Sim is a male or female, choose the skin tone and your Sim's fitness.
 * 5) Click on the 'Step 2' button. You can now choose a pre-made head.
 * 6) Click the 'Step 3' button. Change your Sim's hair style, color, and choose face shape and change the shape of face parts, and choose eye color.
 * 7) Click the 'Step 4' button. Choose your Sim's make up, glasses, facial hair, and or jewelry (If you have Bon Voyage or later expansion packs), etc.
 * 8) Click the 'Step 5' button. Choose your Sim's everyday, formal, swimwear, PJs, underwear and athletic outfits.
 * 9) Click the 'Step 6' button. Choose your Sim's aspiration and personality, and select his/her Turn Ons and Turn Offs if you have Nightlife.
 * 10) Click the 'Accept Sim' button.
 * 11) [[Image:Sims2create-sim.jpg|thumb|Creating a Sim by genetics.]]Once you have two adults of opposite sexes, you can choose to make a child. Click the 'Create a Sim' button and select 'Make a Child'. The two adults' DNA are inherited by the child and a child model is shown. If you don't like how this child turns out, you can click the 'Make a Child' button again.
 * 12) If you have Pets, you can create dogs or cats by clicking 'Create a Sim', then 'Create a Dog' or 'Create a Cat'.
 * 13) Click the 'Family Relationships' button, and drag the family members' portraits onto another to select the Sims' relationships, and then select accept.
 * 14) Click the 'Accept Family' button. Your family is now in the Family Bin waiting to be moved into a home, and is already attached to your cursor. Select the home you'd like them to move into (make sure it's outlined in green so your family can afford it) and then click 'Accept'. Now you can enter this new world...

Family Tree
Relationships allowed by the family tree tool in Create-A-Sim.

Relationships to a Toddler, Child, or Teen
 * Toddler, Child, Teen: sibling or cousin
 * Adult: parent, uncle or aunt
 * Elder: grandparent, great-uncle or great-aunt

Relationships to an Adult
 * Toddler, Child, Teen: child, niece or nephew
 * Adult: sibling, spouse or sibling-in-law
 * Elder: parent, parent-in-law, uncle or aunt

Relationships to an Elder
 * Elder: sibling, spouse, or sibling-in-law
 * Adult: child, niece, nephew, or child-in-law
 * Toddler, Child, Teen: grandchildren, great-niece or great-nephew

The Sims 3
The Sims 3 has the most advanced version of 'Create A Sim' in any of the series games so far. To Create A Sim, you will be immediately presented with a tab at the bottom left of the Neighbourhood screen labelled 'Create Sims'. Click this and it will immediately take you to the Create-A-Sim screen. As in previous Sims games, you can create a maximum of 8 Sims per household. At the bottom of the screen are thumbnails displaying the current Sims existing in your household. By clicking on a Sim's thumbnail, a pop-up appears giving you the option to edit or delete the Sim. A new feature added to the series, which can be selected from this menu, is the option to Create A Twin. By clicking this button, an identical version of that Sim appears in order to make identical twins. If you are not happy with certain areas of your twin, you can go on to customise his/ her appearance in whatever way you want. Beside the last Sim's thumbnail, there is a 'plus' button which allows you to add a new Sim. Once this is clicked, the current Sim your customising is saved and you go on to create a new Sim. This button is disabled once you have created 8 Sims as is the Create A Twin button

Create-A-Sim is split into five different sections with further sub-sections within these sections. Below the five main sections, a 'dice' tab is located which allows the computer to randomly create a Sim. If you are happy with the Sim, the Sim can be saved. If you are not happy however, you can go on and customise the Sim. Every time the dice symbol is clicked, a new random Sim appears. The following five tabs for the Sim are given out in further detail:

Basics
Click the very top button of the five tabs and you are presented with the following options:

First Name: Type in your Sim's first name.

Last Name: Type in your Sim's last name. The last name of the first Sim you created will be the name of that Sim's household, however all Sim's can have individual names if typed into the textbox labelled last name. This is similar to Create Students in The Sims 2 University.

Gender: Choose either male or female.

Age: Choose from the following six ages:


 * Toddler (approximately 2-4 years old)
 * Child (approximately 5-12 years old)
 * Teenager (approximately 13-18 years old)
 * Young Adult (approximately 19-35 years old)
 * Adult (approximately 36-59 years old)
 * Elder (approximately 60 years and older)

NOTE: Babies are the first age for Sims but like in previous games, babies can only be created during the game and not on the Create A Sim menu.

Skin Color: Whereas previous games allowed you to choose only three to four basic skin colours, allows you to choose from 6 basic colours and then use a slider to either lighten or darken that Sim's skin. For the first time, you can decide how light or dark a Sim's colour is within a certain race. You can also paint your Sims more unconventional skin colours such as green or red.

Weight: In The Sims 2, players could only choose between two basic body types: Normal and Large. A third body type-Fit could only be achieved in the game and not on the Create A Sim menu. In, body weight is determined by moving a slider up or down. You can now make your Sim extremely skinny or extremely fat. Toddlers do not have the option to have their weight customised.

Muscle Tone: Again you can use a slider to determine how much muscle tone your Sim has or hasn't. You can create incredibly boney Sims or incredibly ripped Sims. Toddlers, Children, and Elders do not have the option to have their muscle tone customised.

Hair
The Hair tab is located below the Basics tab. Click it to customise the Sim's hairstyle. Three tabs are seen at the left hand side of the screen. The top tab is 'Hairstyle and Hair Accessories', the middle tab is 'Eyebrows and Eyelashes' and the bottom tab is 'Facial Hair'

Hairstyle: Two tabs can be seen at the top of this menu. The first is 'Hairstyle' while the second is 'Hair Accessories'. On the Hairstyles option, cycle through the various hairstyles and choose one for your Sim. After you have selected the hairstyle, you can choose between eight basic colours for your Sim's hair or you can customise the hair further by clicking the paintbrush icon. When you click the paintbrush icon, you can choose individual colours for the base, roots, tips and highlights of your Sim's hair.. Hair colour can be customised with a colour palette and slider.

Eyebrows And Eyelashes: Clicking the left centre tab within the 'Hairstyle and Hair Accessories sections' takes you to the 'Eyebrows And Eyelashes' section. You can customise the eyebrows colour by using the colour palette and slider by clicking the paintbrush icon once again. You can also check or uncheck the box that allows you to have your eyebrows match the colour of your Sim's hair root colours.

Underneath the eyebrow colour options, you can customise the length of your Sim's eyelashes via a slider.

Facial Hair: Facial hair is located at the bottom left tab of the 'Hair and Hair Accessories' section. Facial hair can only be used on male teens, young adults, adults and elders. It CANNOT be used by females of any age or toddler or child male Sims. Facial hair is first chosen and then the colour can be customised the same as hair colour (i.e. the base, roots, highlights and tips can all be customised individually) or a basic colour can be chosen. Unlike in, stubble and facial hair are not separate categories and appear in the same category.

Hairstyle Accessories: On returning to the 'Hair and Hair Accessories' tab, the top right tab allows you to choose hair accessories for your Sim. Hair accessories come with pre-set hairstyles. Hair accessories include hats, headbands and ponytails. By clicking the paintbrush icon, you can customise your Sim's hair as normal and then you can use the Create a Style tool to customise the design and colour of the Sim's hat, ponytail or headband.