Creating Projects

FM Skin Builder offers multiple ways to start a skin project. The New Skin Wizard is the recommended approach for most users.

New Skin Wizard

The wizard guides you through project setup with sensible defaults.

Opening the Wizard

1. From Welcome Screen: Click “New Skin”
2. From Menu: File > New Skin

Step 1: Basic Information

Enter your skin’s details:

Naming tips:

• Use clear, descriptive names
• Avoid special characters (stick to letters, numbers, spaces, hyphens)
• The folder name is generated from your skin name

Blank Template

Creates minimal structure:

my-skin/
└── config.json

You’ll need to manually add all files.

Step 2: Review and Create

Review your choices and click Create Skin.

The wizard:

1. Creates the folder structure
2. Generates config.json with your details
3. Opens the project in the Explorer

Manual Project Creation

You can also create projects manually:

Minimal Manual Setup

1. Create a folder anywhere on your computer
2. Create config.json with required fields:

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "name": "My Skin"
}

3. Open the folder in FM Skin Builder (File > Open Folder)

Full Manual Setup

Create the complete structure:

my-skin/
├── config.json
├── styles/
│   └── base.uss
└── graphics/
    └── icons/
        └── mapping.json

config.json:

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "name": "My Skin",
  "author": "Your Name",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "A custom FM26 skin",
  "includes": ["graphics/icons"]
}

styles/base.uss:

:root {
  /* This is just an example uss variable, you will need to find one used within the game */
  --primary: #ff0000;
}

graphics/icons/mapping.json:

{
  "star.png": "game_star",
  "heart.png": ["game_heart", "game_favorite"],
  /* This wildcard (*) below allows you to map to multiple game assets of sizes like game_circle_1x, game_circle_2x at once */
  "circle.png": ["game_circle_*"]
}

Opening Existing Projects

Recent Projects

FM Skin Builder remembers your recent projects:

1. Open the app
2. Recent projects appear on the welcome screen
3. Click to open

Open Folder

To open any skin folder:

1. File > Open Folder
2. Navigate to the folder containing config.json
3. Select the folder and click Open

Drag and Drop

Drag a folder onto FM Skin Builder to open it.

Project Validation

When opening a project, FM Skin Builder validates:

1. config.json exists - Required for all projects
2. schema_version is valid - Must be 1
3. JSON syntax is correct - No parsing errors
4. includes paths exist - Referenced folders are present

Validation Errors

If validation fails:

Multi-Project Workflow

You can work on multiple skins:

Switching Projects

• File > Open Skin > [project name]
• Or close the skin and pick a recent skin

Best Practices

Folder Location

• Do: Store projects in your Documents folder or a dedicated skins folder
• Don’t: Store in the FM installation directory
• Don’t: Store in system folders or temp directories

Naming Conventions

my-skins/
├── dark-theme-v1/
├── minimalist-ui/
└── custom-colors-2024/

Next: File Browser - Learn to navigate and manage project files.