Hello Rasha,
Yes, it is absolutely possible to update your Spine character rig and re-import it into Unity without breaking existing animations! The spine-unity runtime is designed to handle this workflow smoothly.
Here's how it works:
When you modify your skeleton in Spine (like adding a new accessory or bone) and create new animations, you can simply re-export your files and overwrite the existing assets in Unity. Unity will detect the changes and automatically re-import the modified assets. After re-import, all references to previously imported Spine assets will remain intact and use the latest data.
Steps to safely update:
- Make your changes in Spine - Add your new accessories, bones, or create new animations
- Re-export your assets - Export the updated
.json (or .skel.bytes), .atlas.txt, and .png files
- Overwrite the files - Copy the exported files to your Unity project's subfolder, replacing the existing files
- Unity auto-import - Unity will automatically detect and re-import the changes
Important notes:
- Your existing animations will continue to work as long as you don't rename or remove bones/slots that they depend on
- Adding new bones, slots, or attachments is safe and won't affect existing animations
- New animations you create will be available alongside the old ones
Troubleshooting tip:
Sometimes Unity fails to recognize file changes. If this happens, locate the folder containing your Spine assets in Unity's Project panel, right-click on it, and select Reimport from the context menu.
This workflow allows you to iterate on your characters throughout development without worrying about breaking what's already working in Unity!
Best regards
