Mod Loader/Troubleshooting
If something does not load, restart Dressmaker first. Then check the folders and the log.
Mod Manager is missing
On Windows, open the game folder from Steam: right-click Dressmaker, choose Manage > Browse local files. The folder should contain BepInEx/plugins/DressmakerMods.dll beside Dressmaker.exe. If it does not, follow the Windows install steps again.
On macOS, quit and reopen Steam after running the installer. If it could not find the game, see Game installed on another drive.
A content pack did not appear
- Restart Dressmaker. Packs load when the game starts.
- Open Options > Mod Manager. Check that the pack is installed and enabled.
- If you installed it by hand, check that
mod.jsonis insideDressmaker/Mods/PackName. The ZIP itself will not load. - Check the mod page for its requirements.
- Look in the log for the pack ID or
was skipped.
Open Loading problems in Mod Manager. Each report identifies the pack and, where available, the item or file that failed. A pack can load its other items even if one entry was skipped. After fixing the file or reinstalling the pack, restart Dressmaker to check it again.
A DLL plugin did not load
The DLL should be in Dressmaker/BepInEx/plugins. Restart the game after installing it. It must be a BepInEx plugin made for a compatible game and loader version. Mod Manager can check that a DLL file is readable; it cannot check whether the plugin works with your other mods.
Select the DLL in Mod Manager and open Loading details to check its dependencies and load rules. This session is its current status; Next launch reflects changes you made since starting. To test without it, click Disable DLL and restart. If you cannot reach the menu, close Dressmaker and move that plugin's folder out of BepInEx/plugins. Leave DressmakerMods.dll in place.
Textures look blurry for a moment
Mod Loader keeps small previews of large fabric and accessory images, then loads the originals when they appear. The first launch after adding a pack takes longer because it creates those previews.
Open Mod Settings > Graphics > Texture memory to change the cache size. The default is 512 MiB. Increase it if images often reload when you return to them. Lower it to keep fewer unused images in graphics memory. Images on the dress you are editing stay loaded, so a complicated dress can exceed the budget. The game, icons, other shader textures, CPU copies, and temporary loading also use memory.
To use the previous loading behavior, turn off Load textures as needed and restart. If an image stays blurry, check the log for Could not load full texture; the pack's image file may have been moved or removed.
Find the log
The full session log is BepInEx/LogOutput.log in the game folder. Press Ctrl+` in game to open the debug console and see recent lines. Type help to list its commands. For a longer history, use the log file.
When asking for help, include your Mod Loader version, game version, mod ZIP or DLL name, what you expected, and what happened. Include the relevant lines from BepInEx/LogOutput.log. Start with the log and a screenshot of the problem; someone helping you can ask for a save if they need one to reproduce it.
A save or dress looks wrong
Items named Missing fabric, accessory or garment
These are stand-ins for items from a pack that isn't loaded. If a dress uses one, install or enable its pack again and restart to get the original item back.
Mod Settings > Recovery > Remove unused missing items is on by default. It clears missing items from your lists when no saved or current work uses them. Leftover fabric yardage and accessory stock are removed too. Items used by completed dresses, sketches, undrafted patterns or the dress you're working on are kept.
Cleanup runs when loading, saving or opening item lists. A recovery backup is made before the current save's lists are changed. If you want to keep unused missing stock until you reinstall a pack, turn this setting off before loading the save. Turning it off afterwards won't bring removed stock back; restore a backup through Mod Manager for that.
Stop changing your mod list and make a backup. If the dress uses a fabric or garment from a mod, install or enable that mod again and restart the game. You can restore a backup from Options > Mod Manager > Save backups. Your current saves are backed up before the restore is applied after restart.
The image beside a backup is a dress thumbnail. It does not show how far you had played. Check the backup date when choosing one.
An update did not take effect
Quit and restart Dressmaker. Mod Manager applies a loader DLL update after the game closes. If the version did not change, check BepInEx/config/DressmakerMods/update-error.txt and BepInEx/LogOutput.log. You can also follow the manual install steps.
If you report the problem, keep the ZIP you installed and the log from that session.