Using Sims 3 Patterns for your Sims 4 creations

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If you're looking for good seamless patterns for your Sims 4 creations (this goes for clothes, but will work for objects too), don't forget that our old good Sims 3 game is filled with lovely patterns you can use!

This tutorial won't teach you how to create clothing for the Sims 4, only how to grab patterns and use it as you would do with any other pattern.
If you need to tutorial to know how to recolor clothing, check here! :)
  1. What you need
  2. Choose your pattern
  3. Use for your Sims 4 creations

 

 
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What you need
Choose your pattern

Open the TSR Workshop, and choose "New Project". We're going to clone an object, simply because it takes less time to load than clothing, but actually, all we want here is to grab the patterns, so our base isn't important.


 

I'm going to clone a small plant that I'll call "Sims 3 patterns" so I'll be able to open it quickly next time I need some Sims 3 patterns. Once again, the object you clone isn't very important, but it has to be recolorable, of course!

Once your object is created, click on the Textures tab. Under Patterns, click on Pattern A then on the Edit button.

In the Pattern Editor, click on the Browse button.


Here you go, you have now access to the all the Sims 3 patterns! Use the menu to choose a category: fabric, abstract, geometric... Choose the pattern you want to use, and click on Done.


You can edit your pattern like you would in Create-a-Style. Here, I've changed the red bandana pattern in a blue one.

 

Now, simply press your PrintScreen key, while holding the Alt key. It will allow you to take a snapshot of the active window only.
 
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Use it for your Sims 4 creation

In your graphic program, create a new document (578x407 pixels, if it doesn't create one at the size of your clipboard), and paste. Select the pattern, using Shift key to be sure you'll select a perfect square. Be sure to not select the border of the pattern, only the pattern itself. It should be a 254x254 square. Then, crop.

 

In Photoshop, you have the option to turn this picture as a pattern (Edit/Define pattern), but as I don't like cluttering my pattern menu, I'll use it with a very basic copy-paste, paying attention to paste it seam to seam. Then, I proceed like for any other pattern to create clothing. :)

(See this tutorial if you need to know how to create recolored clothes from scratch)