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Mod Loader/Getting started

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Mods add fabrics, garments, stories, and other changes to Dressmaker. Installing one does not take any coding.

Quick start

  1. Install Mod Loader.
  2. Open Options > Mod Manager > Install/Update Mod.
  3. Choose a mod, check the preview, and restart Dressmaker.

Before you start

You need Dressmaker from Steam and a mod made for Dressmaker. Download Mod Loader for Windows, macOS, or Steam Deck. Save the mod ZIP somewhere outside the game folder until it has installed correctly.

Check the mod's page for any requirements before installing it.

New to game folders? In Steam, right-click Dressmaker and choose Manage > Browse local files. The folder that opens is the game folder. On Windows, it contains Dressmaker.exe. You can pin this folder in File Explorer so it is easy to find again.

There are two different ZIP steps below. Extract the Mod Loader ZIP into the game folder when setting up the loader. For an individual mod, leave its ZIP intact and select it in Mod Manager. You only need to unzip a mod when following manual-install instructions.

Install Mod Loader

For step-by-step setup and help with installation, see Install on macOS or Install on Steam Deck.

Windows

  1. Quit Dressmaker. In Steam, right-click Dressmaker and choose Manage > Browse local files.
  2. Right-click the Windows Mod Loader ZIP and choose Extract All. Open the extracted folder, then copy everything inside it into the Dressmaker folder, beside Dressmaker.exe.
  3. Check for BepInEx/plugins/DressmakerMods.dll in the game folder. Start Dressmaker through Steam and open Options > Mod Manager. If the menu is there, Mod Loader started.

The folders should look like this: 

Dressmaker/
    Dressmaker.exe
    BepInEx/
        plugins/
            DressmakerMods.dll
    Mods/

The Windows download includes BepInEx. You do not need a separate BepInEx installer. If the ZIP made a folder like Dressmaker/BepInEx/BepInEx, you copied an extra outer folder. Move the extracted contents up beside Dressmaker.exe.

macOS

  1. Install Dressmaker through Steam, then quit Steam.
  2. Unzip the macOS Mod Loader download. Keep the extracted files together.
  3. Right-click Install_Dressmaker_Mods.command and choose Open.
  4. Follow the installer. Open Steam again and start Dressmaker.

Open Options > Mod Manager to check the install. The macOS download includes BepInEx and Doorstop. On Apple Silicon, it starts the game's x86_64 version through Rosetta. If the installer cannot find Dressmaker, follow Game installed on another drive.

Install a mod

Open Options > Mod Manager > Install/Update Mod. Choose a mod ZIP or folder. Check the preview, then confirm. Restart the game so the new mod can load.

Most downloads are content packs. A pack has a mod.json file and goes in Mods. A plugin is a DLL and goes in BepInEx/plugins. Mod Manager accepts content ZIPs, supported plugin ZIPs, and managed DLLs through Choose ZIP/DLL. 

Dressmaker/
    Mods/
        MyFabricPack/
            mod.json
            textures/
                cotton.png
    BepInEx/
        plugins/
            SomePlugin.dll

If a ZIP has no mod.json but contains one managed DLL, Mod Manager installs it as a plugin. The DLL can be at the ZIP root or inside a subfolder; it is copied into BepInEx/plugins. For ZIPs with extra runtime files, follow the author's installation instructions.

You can also choose a managed .dll in Mod Manager. It copies the file to BepInEx/plugins. Choose a DLL made for Dressmaker and check the author's requirements before installing it.

Installing a content pack by hand? Unzip it first. The mod.json should be directly inside the pack's folder: 

Mods/
    MyFabricPack/
        mod.json

If you see another folder between Mods and mod.json, move the actual pack folder into Mods.

For a manual plugin install, quit Dressmaker and copy its DLL into BepInEx/plugins, or into its own subfolder there. If the download is a .7z file or contains extra files, follow the mod author's instructions to extract and place them. Restart the game afterward. Do not put the whole archive in the plugins folder.

Install on Steam Deck

Switch to Desktop Mode and extract the Steam Deck download. Run Install_Dressmaker_Mods.sh from a terminal, then set the Proton launch option shown by the installer. See Install on Steam Deck for the commands and Steam setup.

Remove Mod Loader

Close Dressmaker first. On macOS, open Uninstall_Dressmaker_Mods.command from the extracted loader package. On Steam Deck, switch to Desktop Mode, open Konsole in the extracted package folder, and run bash ./Uninstall_Dressmaker_Mods.sh. On macOS, keep uninstall-dressmaker-mods.sh beside the command file.

Check the game folder shown and type yes. The script moves loader files into a dated Threadbox-uninstall folder inside the game folder. Saves, content packs, other plugin DLLs and settings stay in place, but BepInEx plugins will stop loading.

Then remove the loader's launch option in Steam: the launch-dressmaker.sh command on macOS, or the winhttp override on Steam Deck. Keep other launch options you use. To undo the uninstall, close the game and copy the backup contents into the game folder.

Change settings

Open Options > Mod Settings for loader settings. Place symmetrically and Show pins are under Accessories. Their default shortcuts are F6 and F7. Change shortcuts under Keybinds. Some plugins add another settings tab.

To turn a pack or DLL plugin off or on, select it in Mod Manager and use its enable or disable button. Restart Dressmaker afterward. For DLLs, This session shows what loaded; Next launch shows whether it will load after restarting. Open Loading details if a plugin is missing a dependency.

Enable all mods and Disable all mods are below the search box in Mod Manager. Restart after using them. Keep a save backup before playing without packs used by your dresses.

Find fabrics

In the fabric filter, left-click a type, colour or tag to include it. Right-click to exclude it; excluded choices turn red. Click the choice again with the same mouse button to clear it. Use Mods & authors to filter by the pack or creator, then press Apply. Exclusions take priority if a fabric matches both an included and an excluded choice.

Update a mod or Mod Loader

Choose the new pack ZIP with Install/Update Mod. Mod Manager shows which installed pack it will replace. Check the author's update notes, especially if the pack adds content used in a saved dress.

To update Mod Loader, choose the newer Mod Loader ZIP with the same button. Confirm, then restart. Mod Manager saves a copy of the old loader DLL. If the release says to update BepInEx, quit Dressmaker and extract the full release ZIP into the game folder.

Share a dress

Export your dress with the game's usual export button. Mod Loader puts the custom fabrics, accessories, and garment pieces it needs inside the .dress file, along with their images, meshes, and credits. It includes only the items used by that dress and anything those items depend on.

The person receiving the file needs Mod Loader too. Import the file with the game's dress import button. Missing items are installed as a pack named Dress content: [file name] in Mod Manager. Fabrics and accessories are available in the shops, and imported garment pieces can be selected for new dresses.

Already have an item? The loader uses your installed copy. Importing another dress with the same fabric or accessory will not add it again or replace it. If its pack is disabled, enable it and restart before importing.

Keep imported packs while you have dresses that use them. An imported pack may also use items from a pack you already had installed. Plugin code and effects created at runtime are not included; the export will tell you when it cannot package a fabric. Check the original author's sharing terms before uploading the file.

Back up your saves

Open Options > Mod Manager > Save backups to make or restore a backup. Backups are ZIP files in Documents/Dressmaker Save Backups. Mod Loader also makes automatic backups when it finds save files.

Restoring takes effect after you restart the game. Mod Loader backs up the current saves before it restores the selected one. Backup ZIPs include save data and dress thumbnails; the thumbnail is just a preview. Back up before removing a pack that provides fabric or garment pieces used by a saved dress.

Back to the Mod Loader guide

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