Create a Sim

Create a Sim (also known as CAS) is where Sims are made. It is used to customize a Sim's appearance and personality as well as the relationship within a family or household before adding them to a neighborhood. Once added to the game only superficial changes can be made to a Sim's appearance.

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, the player is taken to the Family Bin where they can choose from pre-made Sim families or click one of the tabs that reads 'Create a new family...'. This is where players can create a Sim family.

First, choose a family name for the Sims. All Sims created per household will share the same family name, as Sims in The Sims do not have surnames. Click the plus button (represented by a 'plus' symbol) to add a Sim to the family. There is 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 'trashcan' 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, the player is taken to another screen. At the very top centre of a screen, a text box is displayed asking for the Sim's first name. Underneath this on the left side of the screen, are options to customise the Sim's personality. This is represented by five personality traits, each of which run on a scale of 0-10: Neat, Outgoing, Active, Playful and Nice. The player has 25 personality points which can be assigned to these traits. Unlike in The Sims 2, not all of the personality points need to be assigned to a Sim. As personality points are assigned to the Sim, the player is shown what the Sim's zodiac sign would be with that mix of personality points.

In the middle of the screen, choose the basic options for the Sims. 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, Sims of the toddler, teenager, young adult or elder ages cannot be created, as those life stages are not present. The Sims doesn't keep track of family relationships, so any adult Sims will be considered as spouses and all children as siblings.

On the very right hand corner of the screen stands a pre-made Sim and the player 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, 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. For adult Sims, this is how their basic body type (skinny, fit, or fat) is chosen. Unlike later editions to the series, an in-depth customisation of a Sims' physical appearance is not possible, only being able to choose from a number of heads and a number of bodies for a Sim. 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 the player to write a brief biography about the Sim. The biography can be updated later at any time during the Live Mode stage of gameplay. Click the 'Done' button to save the 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 Create a Student) 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 the Sims as well. If the Sim is older than a child, their Aspiration and Turn-ons/offs (Nightlife and further EPs) may be determined. As in The Sims, there are five personality traits, and 25 personality points which can be assigned to those traits. However, in The Sims 2, all personality points must be assigned. Additionally, there are twelve pre-set personalities, one for each of the twelve zodiac signs.

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. A child cannot be linked (using the family tree tool) to an 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 the family's last name and select 'Create a Sim'. A random Sim model is shown.
 * 3) Enter the Sim's first name, indicate whether the Sim is a male or female, choose the skin tone and the Sim's fitness.
 * 4) Click on the 'Step 2' button to choose a pre-made head.
 * 5) Click the 'Step 3' button to change the Sim's hair style and color, choose face shape and change the shape of face parts, and choose eye color.
 * 6) Click the 'Step 4' button. Choose the Sim's make up, glasses, facial hair, and or jewelry, etc.
 * 7) Click the 'Step 5' button. Choose the Sim's everyday, formal, swimwear, PJs, underwear, athletic outfits, and outerwear.
 * 8) Click the 'Step 6' button. Choose the Sim's aspiration and personality, and select his/her Turn Ons and Turn Offs.
 * 9) Click the 'Accept Sim' button.
 * 10) [[Image:Sims2create-sim.jpg|thumb|Creating a Sim by genetics.]]Once two adults of opposite sexes are created, a child using the adults genetics can be created by clicking the 'Create a Sim' button and select 'Make a Child'. The two adults' DNA are inherited by the child and a random model of a possible child is shown. Click the 'Make a Child' button again for another random possibility.
 * 11) Pets can also be added to the family and created in Create a Pet.
 * 12) Click the 'Family Relationships' button, and drag the family members' portraits onto another to select the Sims' relationships, and then select accept.
 * 13) Click the 'Accept Family' button. The family is now in the Family Bin waiting to be moved into a home, and is already attached to the player's cursor. Select the home to move into (make sure it's outlined in green so the family can afford it) and then click 'Accept'. Now they 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, sibling-in-law, or cousin
 * 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

Create-A-Student
In The Sims 2: University, Create-A-Student is the version of Create-A-Sim which is available when viewing the main screen of a college sub-neighborhood. Unlike the normal Create-A-Sim, Create-A-Student only creates Young Adult Sims who only appear in the Student Bin. Also, instead of creating "families", it creates households, and allows the player to give Sims within a household different last names.

Aside from that, Create-A-Student is pretty much the same as the normal CAS, except that the Sim stands in a different room during creation. Once finished, the Household will receive §500 per Sim, and they can be moved into a dorm or private home, but cannot be moved directly into an established Greek house.

NOTE: When using the family funds cheat, use the name of the household, not the last name(s) of the Sims.

Create-A-Pet
Main article: Create a Pet In The Sims 2: Pets, the Create-A-Pet feature is part of the CAS. An adult or elder dog or cat can be added to the family. There are many options to customize the appearance of a pet as well as predefined breeds. A pet's personality and name can then be chosen. You can also unlock many new coats and collars through in-game experiences.

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. There is also an option called Play With Genetics (this feature is similar to "Create A Child" in The Sims 2). Once you have created at least one male Sim and at least one female Sim, you select "Play With Genetics" when creating a new Sim. Here, you can pick one male Sim and one female Sim and see what their child would look like, in each of the six create-able stages - Toddler, Child, Teen, Young Adult, Adult, and Elder. If you wish to create a Sim that looks like something that has appeared in Play With Genetics, you can click "accept" and the Sim will be created. This tool is useful if you wish to create a household with parents and children.

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 most common last name of the household will be the default household name, in case of a tie, the first one entered is selected. However, each member can have an individual last name if desired. 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)

'''Like previous games, babies cannot be created due to the fact that infants cannot have their facial structure customized, unlike a toddler or adult. They all look identical until they reach the age of toddler, where genetics really kick in.'''

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, blue 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 The Sims 3, however, 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. This tool is confirmed to be updated in Late Night.

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 the Sims 2, 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.

Looks
The "looks" section can be either simple or complicated. You have your specific part of your Sim's head you want to modify and can either choose the preset thumbnails available or go advanced and modify using sliders. (If you want pointed ears you will need to go here. You will need to make an account to download them)

Clothes
In this tab, you can choose what your Sims will wear. Unlike in the Sims 2, you can now choose the shoes.

Examples of clothes chosen in the Create-A-Sim mode.

Personality
You can choose any of the Traits available in the menu, also you can create favorites, your Sim's voice, and your Sim's lifetime wish (which used to be a randomized lifetime want in the Sims 2.)

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 a Young Adult or Adult
 * Toddler, Child, Teen: child, niece or nephew
 * Adult: sibling, spouse, sibling-in-law, cousin, boyfriend/girlfrend, fiancee
 * Elder: parent, parent-in-law, uncle or aunt

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

One cannot make, for example, a Toddler who is a grandparent, because that is not possible in real life.