Harald wrote

Thanks for reporting and sorry for the troubles. I have created an issue ticket here:
https://github.com/EsotericSoftware/spine-runtimes/issues/2173
We will let you know once the URP Forward+ renderer is supported by the Spine URP shaders.

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Forward+ render path is supported by lit Spine URP shaders (Universal Render Pipeline/Spine/Sprite and Universal Render Pipeline/Spine/Skeleton Lit) on both 4.1 and 4.2-beta branches.

New 4.1 and 4.2-beta Spine URP Shaders UPM packages are available for download here as usual:
spine-unity Download.

Please let us know if this fixes the issues on your end as well. Thanks again for reporting!

After some more testing I still am getting incorrect results.

The blue light isn't lighting anything on Forward+, see screenshot

Can you confirm this is working/not working on your end? I have tried with both 4.1 and 4.2 and still getting incorrect results unfortunately - Any help is appreciated

An additional problem,

When creating a new project with 2022.2.2f1 (unsure if this happens in others) and I try repro this using original steps, using Spine 4.1 or 4.2 I get shader compiler errors when using Forward+ and pink textures

Shader error in 'Universal Render Pipeline/Spine/Sprite': undeclared identifier '_AdditionalLightsDirectionalCount' at (1)/Packages/com.esotericsoftware.spine.urp-shaders-4.1-2019.1/Shaders/Include/Spine-Sprite-ForwardPass-URP.hlsl(220) (on d3d11)

Compiling Subshader: 0, Pass: ForwardLit, Vertex program with _ADDITIONAL_LIGHT_SHADOWS _ALPHAPREMULTIPLY_VERTEX_ONLY _EMISSION _FIXED_NORMALS_VIEWSPACE _FORWARD_PLUS _MAIN_LIGHT_SHADOWS _NORMALMAP _RECEIVE_SHADOWS_OFF
Platform defines: SHADER_API_DESKTOP UNITY_COLORSPACE_GAMMA UNITY_ENABLE_DETAIL_NORMALMAP UNITY_ENABLE_REFLECTION_BUFFERS UNITY_LIGHTMAP_FULL_HDR UNITY_LIGHT_PROBE_PROXY_VOLUME UNITY_PBS_USE_BRDF1 UNITY_SPECCUBE_BLENDING UNITY_SPECCUBE_BOX_PROJECTION UNITY_USE_DITHER_MASK_FOR_ALPHABLENDED_SHADOWS
Disabled keywords: DIRLIGHTMAP_COMBINED FOG_EXP FOG_EXP2 FOG_LINEAR INSTANCING_ON LIGHTMAP_ON PIXELSNAP_ON SHADER_API_GLES30 UNITY_ASTC_NORMALMAP_ENCODING UNITY_FRAMEBUFFER_FETCH_AVAILABLE UNITY_HALF_PRECISION_FRAGMENT_SHADER_REGISTERS UNITY_HARDWARE_TIER1 UNITY_HARDWARE_TIER2 UNITY_HARDWARE_TIER3 UNITY_LIGHTMAP_DLDR_ENCODING UNITY_LIGHTMAP_RGBM_ENCODING UNITY_METAL_SHADOWS_USE_POINT_FILTERING UNITY_NO_DXT5nm UNITY_NO_FULL_STANDARD_SHADER UNITY_NO_SCREENSPACE_SHADOWS UNITY_PBS_USE_BRDF2 UNITY_PBS_USE_BRDF3 UNITY_PRETRANSFORM_TO_DISPLAY_ORIENTATION UNITY_UNIFIED_SHADER_PRECISION_MODEL UNITY_VIRTUAL_TEXTURING _ADDITIONAL_LIGHTS _ADDITIONAL_LIGHTS_VERTEX _ADDITIVEBLEND _ADDITIVEBLEND_SOFT _ALPHABLEND_ON _ALPHAPREMULTIPLY_ON _ALPHA_CLIP _COLOR_ADJUST _DIFFUSE_RAMP _FIXED_NORMALS_MODELSPACE _FIXED_NORMALS_MODELSPACE_BACKFACE _FIXED_NORMALS_VIEWSPACE_BACKFACE _FIXED_NORMALS_WORLDSPACE _FOG _FULLRANGE_HARD_RAMP _FULLRANGE_SOFT_RAMP _LIGHT_AFFECTS_ADDITIVE _MAIN_LIGHT_SHADOWS_CASCADE _MAIN_LIGHT_SHADOWS_SCREEN _MIXED_LIGHTING_SUBTRACTIVE _MULTIPLYBLEND _MULTIPLYBLEND_X2 _OLD_HARD_RAMP _OLD_SOFT_RAMP _RIM_LIGHTING _SHADOWS_SOFT _SPECULAR _SPECULAR_GLOSSMAP _STRAIGHT_ALPHA_INPUT _TEXTURE_BLEND

Edit 1 I didn't realise I had to download 4.1 from Git, just checking again now
Edit 2 Sorry I have no idea how to import the updated 4.1 from Git. I found the correct branch and downloaded the directory to zip, and im trying to copy the contents of "spine-unity" (Assets etc) into the root directory of my empty project but I just get >300 errors

Please can you explain how to properly import this updated package or link a normal Unity package for it please, thank you

I'm still having problems with this unfortunately, the Skeleton Lit shader just won't compile with Forward+ Selected.

Unity: 2022.2.2f1
URP: 14.0.4

Btw, I noticed the download page doesn't actually seem to have an updated 4.1 or 4.2 runtime (updated 2023-01-11 for 4.1), its just the URP packages that seem updated, is that correct?

Repro:
1) Create new URP project in 2022.2.2f1
2) Install Spine 4.1 or 4.2 beta from Spine downloads page
3) Install matching URP shaders from downloads page, install via Package Manager
4) Open the "URP 3D Shaders scene" from Examples
5) Set the URP Asset in Project settings
6) Observe that the default Forward renderer seems to work fine
7) ENSURE you change the URP SO renderer to Forward+
8 ) Things might LOOK ok immediately, BUT! The Spine Skeleton Lit shader is actually not compiling properly. Select it from the URP shaders, Spine-SkeletonLit-URP and see the following error

Shader error in 'Universal Render Pipeline/Spine/Skeleton Lit': invalid subscript 'shadowedColor' at /Users/welky/Documents/_UnityProjects/Valor/Packages/com.esotericsoftware.spine.urp-shaders-4.1-2019.1/Shaders/Include/Spine-SkeletonLit-ForwardPass-URP.hlsl(173) (on d3d11)

Compiling Subshader: 0, Pass: ForwardLit, Vertex program with _ADDITIONAL_LIGHT_SHADOWS _FORWARD_PLUS _MAIN_LIGHT_SHADOWS _RECEIVE_SHADOWS_OFF
Platform defines: SHADER_API_DESKTOP UNITY_COLORSPACE_GAMMA UNITY_ENABLE_DETAIL_NORMALMAP UNITY_ENABLE_REFLECTION_BUFFERS UNITY_LIGHTMAP_FULL_HDR UNITY_LIGHT_PROBE_PROXY_VOLUME UNITY_PBS_USE_BRDF1 UNITY_SPECCUBE_BLENDING UNITY_SPECCUBE_BOX_PROJECTION UNITY_USE_DITHER_MASK_FOR_ALPHABLENDED_SHADOWS
Disabled keywords: FOG_EXP FOG_EXP2 FOG_LINEAR INSTANCING_ON SHADER_API_GLES30 UNITY_ASTC_NORMALMAP_ENCODING UNITY_FRAMEBUFFER_FETCH_AVAILABLE UNITY_HALF_PRECISION_FRAGMENT_SHADER_REGISTERS UNITY_HARDWARE_TIER1 UNITY_HARDWARE_TIER2 UNITY_HARDWARE_TIER3 UNITY_LIGHTMAP_DLDR_ENCODING UNITY_LIGHTMAP_RGBM_ENCODING UNITY_METAL_SHADOWS_USE_POINT_FILTERING UNITY_NO_DXT5nm UNITY_NO_FULL_STANDARD_SHADER UNITY_NO_SCREENSPACE_SHADOWS UNITY_PBS_USE_BRDF2 UNITY_PBS_USE_BRDF3 UNITY_PRETRANSFORM_TO_DISPLAY_ORIENTATION UNITY_UNIFIED_SHADER_PRECISION_MODEL UNITY_VIRTUAL_TEXTURING _ADDITIONAL_LIGHTS _ADDITIONAL_LIGHTS_VERTEX _DOUBLE_SIDED_LIGHTING _LIGHT_AFFECTS_ADDITIVE _MAIN_LIGHT_SHADOWS_CASCADE _MIXED_LIGHTING_SUBTRACTIVE _RECEIVE_SHADOWS _SHADOWS_SOFT _STRAIGHT_ALPHA_INPUT

For your convenience I have also uploaded a repro project just incase. You can download here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t95srgqr08xdy30/SpineRepro2022.zip?dl=0

Please can you confirm if its working in a fresh project for you or not working, as I'm really struggling to tell if I'm fundamentally doing something wrong.

Thank you for your time!

Harald

Thanks so much Spine Team, seems to be working great now! Really, thanks so much for your efforts and patience with me on this issue. I'm now using Forward+ with Spine and that's amazing! Very happy to take advantage of Forward+ performance!

One minor issue i noticed, for 2D "Orthographic" cameras, spotlights do not work with Forward+ in Game View (works fine in Scene view aslong as 2D isn't selected). Pointlights are fine, but spotlights don't seem to work. It works fine in Perspective view, which is what I'm using for my project, so doesn't affect me - just thought you should know anyway - not sure if it's a Unity problem or not or just an incorrect setting somewhere

Anyway, thanks again!