I have recently started converting Sims4 objects to Sims2.
The first dresser I converted was the Enigma Dresser which had a drawer (and thanks to all the help in creating dressers previously ), I successfully created this dresser and it has been uploaded.


However, it was flagged to me that there are issues with Sims4 dressers, so I looked at the meshes of the dressers in the next few homes I will be working on, and found that none of them have drawers or doors too.
The drawer and/or door are just 'fronts' and just part of the surface, so there is nothing to regroup. Only one of them has clothes within the texture PNG!
How do I make the animation work?
Do I clone from a Sims2 dresser with a separate GMDC drawer and try to replace the front of the drawer with the Sims4 drawer front?
Do I clone from a Sims2 dresser without a separate GMDC drawer? I was previously advised not to use this type of dresser.

At the moment, I don't have experience of working with joints - not even sure if that would work.
Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

If the dresser has a drawer mesh you can use, you use that.

If there is no drawer, the easiest is probably to just drop the animation. The sim will still do the animations but the drawer itself won't animate (Sim and object animations are separate from each other). It's going to take a lot of meshing/UVmapping/etc. skills to add in a working drawer if there isn't one already, and I don't think I'd even bother even if I know how.

If you use a GMDC with Unimesh in Milkshape, you can group the entire thing as the "non-animated" part and link all of it to the "joint02" (I think that's usually the base joint for the non-animated parts, but check the original drawer just in case).

Of you use an OBJ through the "import" function.

EA skimped on a lot of the TS4 animations. In TS4 they just walk up to the dresser and CAS pops up (sometimes they can even be in a different room than the dresser ), so there's "no need" for drawer animations.

Hello simmer22,
Thank you for your reply.
Although I place a dresser in a bedroom for my Sims, I don't really use them very much. Sounds like some of the Sims4 dressers are just like the Sims3 ones too.
I think creating a working drawer animation from scratch might be the best option. I will give it some more thought whilst I finish off Streamlet Single.

I think most of the TS3 dressers have animations (or am I wrong?) - the few I have poked at have had drawers.

I don't use dressers much, either. In my game I use them mainly for decoration purposes and for the animations if taking pics (I use a mod for dressing up my sims, it's faster and I find the swirling animation from the dressers annoying)

You don't need to make new drawer animations (you can use the regular TS2 animation and skeleton). You would have to make the drawer mesh, though. I guess that's what's missing?

Hello @simmer22,
Thank you for you comment.
I think most TS3 dressers do have a drawer but need to be regrouped as the mesh is 'all-in'one'. What I meant was that in Sims3, players can just click on the Sim (regardless of where the Sim is) to change their clothes which sounds a bit like Sims4.

If I use an existing Sims2 drawer, change the front panel to the Sims4 front panel and possibly resize the drawer to fit the Sims4 dresser, would that work?

Yesterday, I had a look at the next dresser I will be trying to make - Thumbkin Child's Dresser.

This dresser is lower than any of the Sims2 dressers - unsure whether to resize the height? There is also no separate drawer in the mesh nor clothes in the texture image.
From the description, it is a storage box and can double as a desk or a bench (which I would love to try and do!). I had even considered cloning from a toy box by creating a lid and making it a toy box rather than a dresser?
What do you think?

I doubt you'll get a good result that way, but you can try. The drawers seem to just be texture on one flat panel from what I can see. They're not even separated into single drawers. That's a big remeshing job if you want to make it look nice.

Honestly, for most of the TS4 ones it will be much easier to ditch the drawers. I'm not sure where to start guiding you through it with the remeshing and UVmaping to get these to look even half decent, since there's very little to go on (I'm not sure where I would start for most of them...).

If you intend to upload them, I don't think people would mind them not having the drawer animations, especially if you explain why.

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If you're not doing animations, you don't need to think about changes to the height or size. They would do some semi-random hand waving over a small dresser and then the clothes window appear.

For the sake of these particular drawer animations, the animations for the drawer will work as long as you keep roughly the same width/depth, since the animations only move forth and back in that direction. The general height of the object and distance between drawer handles is of course important for how it looks when the sim opens the drawer (but they do the same animation whether you've used a high or low drawer mesh - unless there are some individual differences between the EAxis meshes, which there could be).

Hello @simmer22
Thank you for your reply and advice.
I would still like a dresser that is functional and also the animations work even if I decide not to upload it.

I am not planning to try and do a drawer with the Thumbkin Child's Dresser - but there are a couple of other dressers that might be do-able.
I will have a try at this Thumbkin Child's Dresser (at making it something else!) and one of the other dressers that might be suitable for creating a drawer and let you know how I get on.

If you absolutely want a working drawer, it's possible - you just need to roll up your sleeves and flex some meshing muscles.

What I would try is this:
1. Resize-or-relocate the mesh of the drawer that you want to open so it matches the joint of the opening drawer on the Sims2 dresser you clone. You can locate the joint in the Sims2 GMDC - it's usually a big fat red one. And you can confirm its location in the CRES.
2. Add mesh for the insides of the drawer (or keep that part of the Sims2 mesh in place and match your Sims 4 drawer front to it). Group the front and inside together and assign the group to the joint.
3. Import texture from a sims 2 dresser with clothing image included (or just keep the one from the cloned dresser, it it's suitable).
4. Map the regrouped drawer to the Sims2 texture with the clothing image. If you need to keep the front mapped to the Sims4 texture, just cut and paste that portion into the Sims2 texture in an unused spot and map it that way.

Hello @d4RE
Thank you for your reply and advice - its very much appreciated.

Earlier I had that eureka moment with the Thumbkin Child's Dresser to clone from a baby changing table and the option seems to be there to plan or change a toddler's outfit. Unfortunately I don't have a baby in my game, to check if the change diaper option is still available and if so, I may have to change the slot info for the new height.

I think the Weathered Wonder Dresser might be a good candidate to try your suggestion. I will keep you posted on how I get on.

For the lower dressers you can "cheat" it, and use dresser options so it works like a dresser (thinking something that works like the hacked coat hook or the Insim wardrobe adjuster, or the toddler wardrobe item from here: https://modthesims.info/d/316656/ti...ed-objects.html - whatever is easiest or practical. Not sure if there's a cloneable item you can use), but maybe add slots so it works like an end table, so it has an extra practical use too. It's one way to get around the no drawer issue.

Some of the dressers might be possible to remesh so you can create drawers. Others may be more of a challenge.

Hello simmer22
Thank you for your advice.
I checked out the Tiny Tikes Nursery Necessities (incredible stuff!) but the creator states the dressers are not compatible with Apartment Life and Mansion & Gardens which I have installed.
Fingers crossed, I manage to create a drawer for the dresser.

There's probably other items you can use that have the dresser functions but not the drawer animations (these are just a few I could think of).

Hello simmer22,
Thank you for your really good suggestions.
I tried out the coat stand that comes with Seasons - which offers to change outerwear only. Would I be able to add all clothing options including planning an outfit?

I tried creating the separate drawer for the Unmentionables Dresser. I was able to remove the front middle drawer from the Sim4 mesh, but was not able to remove the front panel of the drawer of The Crustikus Dresser (only a little of it could be regrouped).
The only option I could think was to keep the Unmentionables Dresser as one group (so it looks okay) and use the Crustikus Dresser Drawer (which I resized a little to fit).

Perhaps it was the drawer I used - maybe there are other drawers that will allow me to change the front of them?
I am a little tempted to think about replacing this dresser with a child's dresser that came with Sims3 and I think (fingers crossed) has a drawer with clothes that can be separated.