Set physics free.
PixelBullet is a free rigid body physics tool for After Effects.
Windows & macOS · After Effects [VERSION] and later
Free is a direct download. No account, no email address.
Your artwork is already the shape.
If a layer has alpha, PixelBullet can read it. PNGs, PSDs, Illustrator artwork, text, shapes, masks, anything you can put on a layer.
It builds the collider from what's actually visible, so there are no collider masks to draw and no proxy geometry to rebuild. The banana is banana-shaped.
Two versions.
PixelBullet Free
Everything below, forever- Alpha bodies: colliders generated from your artwork
- Rectangle and circle bodies
- Gravity strength and direction
- World boundaries, bounce and friction
- Per-body mass, bounce, friction, linear & angular drag
- Launch speed and spin
- Preview panel
- Exact bake and clear bake
- Simulation range
- Support report
No account. No email address. No time limit.
PixelBullet Pro
One-time purchase · no subscription- Everything in Free
- Chains: from paths, between objects, edge to edge
- Chain stiffness, stretch, damping, pinning, parenting, breakable links
- Attached bodies and multiple attachments
- Pins, axles and sockets
- Motors and springs
- Collision groups
- Balanced and Editable bake, with keyframe reduction settings
- Adjustable sim quality
- Cavity support
- Tight Precomp
- Set Initial and rest-state tools
- Production, precomp and batch tools
Licence key, activates on one machine.
Deactivate from the panel when you change computer.
Add. Preview. Bake.
The collider is built the moment you add a layer. Preview it, adjust it, bake it back to After Effects.
Before you ask.
How do I install it?
Download the file, then install it the way you install any After Effects extension. The download contains a short README with the exact steps for Windows and macOS.
If After Effects was open while you installed, restart it. The panel appears under
Window → Extensions → PixelBullet.
Which versions of After Effects does it work with?
After Effects [VERSION] and later, on Windows and macOS.
Is Free actually usable, or is it a demo?
It's a complete tool. Alpha bodies, the thing that makes PixelBullet different, are in the free version, not behind the paywall. There's no watermark, no time limit and no export restriction. If all you need is artwork falling and bouncing convincingly, Free does that and you never need to pay.
Pro is for rigging: connecting objects with chains, pins, axles, springs and motors.
How does it compare to the other physics tools?
Newton is better. It has been developed for years by Motion Boutique, it does far more than PixelBullet does, and if you do physics work regularly and can afford it, buy Newton. That's not false modesty, it's just true.
PixelBullet is for the other situation. You want rigid body physics in After Effects, you want it now, and you don't want to pay for it. Or you're starting out and finding out what physics is useful for before spending money on it. That's what the free version is for.
If you outgrow it, you'll know.
How does the Pro licence work?
You get a licence key by email after purchase. Paste it into the PixelBullet panel and click Activate. The key runs on one machine at a time.
If you change computer, deactivate the old machine from the panel first, then activate the new one.
PixelBullet re-checks the licence every so often rather than every time you open it, so you can work offline for extended periods without it getting in your way.
My machine died so I can't deactivate my licence.
Email me and I'll release the activation so you can use your key on the new machine.
Licensing problems of any kind: [SUPPORT-EMAIL]
Does it do fracture or shattering?
No. PixelBullet is a rigid body simulator. Objects move, collide, bounce and can be connected together, but they don't break apart into pieces. Not yet, anyway.
What happens when there's an update?
Free updates are on this site. Download the current version and install over the top.
Pro updates are in your purchase account: the download link in your original order email always points at the latest version.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, see the refund policy. Try the free version first though; it will tell you whether PixelBullet suits how you work.
Something's broken. How do I report it?
The panel can generate a support report. It describes what PixelBullet was doing in your project: the bodies in the simulation, their settings, and where it went wrong.
It contains nothing private. No personal information, no file paths, no artwork, no part of your project's content, nothing that identifies you or your machine.
Send it to [SUPPORT-EMAIL] with a short description of what you were doing.
PixelBullet is supported by one person, so replies aren't instant.
Drop it in. Make it physical.
Start with the free version. Buy Pro when you want to connect things together.