Troubleshooting and recovery

Groom tools are unavailable

1. Check that your plan is Professional or Studio. Free and Personal do not include Groom.
2. Make sure the Groom workspace is active, rather than the source 3D view.
3. Check Head Assets for an active head and wait for import and surface preparation to finish.
4. Confirm that you generated a UV layout during baking and that there are source cards to choose.
5. For an existing-card tool, select a card first.

If preparation does not complete, inspect any import error and try a simpler copy of the head. The time required depends on the model and computer; do not assume every head becomes ready within a particular number of seconds.

Use the import button beside Head Assets when you need the head-specific scale controls. Ctrl+I is general model import.

A texture or UV layout is missing

1. Check that the source layers are visible. Hidden layers do not contribute to a new bake.
2. Open Advanced Bake Settings and select the maps you need.
3. For cards, choose Generate UV Layout → Simple or Complex on a paid plan.
4. Click Bake Maps, wait for completion, then inspect Texture or UV Layout.

Source changes need a new bake. Filter changes do not require rebaking the source. Save before regenerating a layout already used by an existing groom.

Cards look dark or disappear

1. Press 1 over the Groom viewport to return to lit shading. A map inspection mode can look very different from the final hair.
2. Inspect the Albedo and Alpha maps. Confirm the card uses the intended source in UV Layout.
3. Orbit around the card. If it disappears edge-on, select it and adjust Twist or its path.
4. Check Width Bend if the card's cross-section folds into the head or faces an unsuitable direction.
5. Try a different environment light before changing the hair's colors.

In another application, also check material transparency, backface settings, and which UV layout displays the texture. A dark card is not, by itself, proof that the card was drawn backward.

The head or exported hair is the wrong size

First decide whether the problem began during head import or only during export.

• Wrong on import: Use the head file's original units in Import Head Model. For glTF or FBX, stored units take precedence over the dropdown.
• Wrong only in the destination: Check Mesh Unit in Export Settings and the destination import scale. Change one, not both, for the test.
• Wrong position or rotation: Compare the same head and hair together. Check character transforms and axis conversion separately from size.

Check the head's size before grooming. If cards are already placed, save a copy before replacing or rescaling the head so you can return to the original arrangement.

Cards flicker or show through

1. Isolate the affected region and check for duplicate cards or surfaces lying on top of each other.
2. Adjust their paths or offsets so the cards are not competing for the same surface position.
3. In the destination application, use an appropriate cutout or dithered transparency method for hair cards.
4. Check the result at the final camera distance; very thin hair can still shimmer even with a cutout material.

Use separate placement passes to review coverage and detail. Transparency settings do not automatically fix overlapping geometry.

Borders look wrong at a distance

If the hair has dark or bright outlines when you zoom away, check texture padding and the spacing between bundles. If tips are missing even when close, check Alpha and the UV card outline first.

Card padding, empty space between bundles, and texture edge padding solve different problems. Follow Keep texture edges clean rather than increasing all three at once.

An export does not match the work

1. Open the file in the exact Output Folder used by the latest export. Check its modification time.
2. Confirm that the edited map was selected under Texture Options.
3. Check that the intended filters are enabled and have the expected opacity.
4. Wait for export completion. If the application reports an error, export to a new writable folder.
5. If the image is correct but looks different in another application, check that application's lighting and image color settings.

The main Run Export includes current Base Stage adjustments and enabled filters, including when those maps are used in packed textures. You do not need a separate viewer save to preserve the edits.

If a mesh is missing, check the mesh checkbox and plan access. If it is flat instead of fitted to the head, choose Groom Cards (3D Mesh) rather than Cards UV (2D Mesh).

Recover an autosave

Normal projects use the .nas extension and are saved wherever you chose in the save dialog. Use Open Recent to find a normal project before looking for recovery files.

1. In Windows File Explorer, open %LOCALAPPDATA%\HairStorm\autosave.
2. Look for files such as autosave_1.nas. Sort by modification date, not by the number in the name; slots are reused.
3. Copy a promising snapshot to a separate recovery folder so the original is preserved.
4. Open the copy with Ctrl+O. Check the layers, maps, and groom.
5. Use Ctrl+Shift+S to save the recovered work under a new name.

Contact support

If the checks do not solve the problem, contact support with your HairStorm version, active workspace, the steps that trigger the issue, and the exact error message. Include a screenshot showing the selected layer, map, or card and the relevant settings.

When possible, reproduce it in a small project you can share. Do not include license keys, private account information, or client assets without permission.