Physics Panel for Adobe Illustrator

Real-time 2D physics simulation for Adobe Illustrator using Planck.js (Box2D). Transform vector artwork into dynamic physics bodies for animations, shape packing, and generative design.

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Quick Start

1. Create few vector paths in Illustrator
2. Click Import in Gravity panel
3. Click Play to start simulation
4. Drag items to adjust in real time.
5. Click Export to apply transforms back to Illustrator

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Interface

Physics Canvas

• Blue shapes: Dynamic physics bodies
• Orange border: Container boundary (when enabled)
• Apple icon: Drag to control gravity direction/magnitude

Basic Controls

Left Column:

• Import: Capture selected Illustrator paths as physics bodies
• Export: Apply current physics transforms back to Illustrator
• Play/Pause: Start/stop continuous simulation
• Step: Advance simulation by N iterations AND export to Illustrator
• Step iterations input: Number of steps per click (default: 1)
• Export to frame layers: Creates @P_XXXX layer for each step/export

Right Column:

• Use biggest path as container: Largest path becomes static boundary (orange border), good for packing items into one
• Simplify engine paths: Reduce vertices in physics engine.
• Simplify Illustrator paths: Apply Illustrator path simplification on import.
• Add padding to shapes: Expand paths by N pixels

Advanced Settings (Click “Advanced…”)

Left Column – Animation:

• Preview animation: Loop playback of frame layers. Frame layers have to be generated with Export to frame layers checkbox first.
• Folder path + browse: Select PNG export destination
• Export frames: Export all @P_XXXX layers as PNG sequence

Right Column – Engine:

• Import clipmasks only: Fast import for complex artwork (only clipmask vectors are used as engine shapes)
• Engine accuracy (1-120): Timestep rate – higher = more accurate/slower (default: 25 = 1/25s)
• Wall bounce (0-1): Container/boundary restitution (default: 0.02)
• Body friction (0-1): Surface friction between objects (0 = slippery, 1 = sticky, default: 0.9)
• Body bounce (0-1): Restitution – how much objects bounce (0.01 = minimal, 0.5 = bouncy)
• Body mass (0.1-10): Density – heavier = harder to move (default: 1.0)
• Restart engine on change: Auto-rebuild physics world when settings change
• Revert engine settings: Reset advanced parameters to defaults

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Workflows

Animation Export

Layer Method (for previewing/editing):

1. Enable “Export to frame layers”
2. Click Step repeatedly.
3. Each step creates layer: @P_0001, @P_0002, etc.
4. Click “Preview animation” to loop through frames (under Advanced..)
5. Export AI file with frame layers for external tools

PNG Method (for video editing):

1. Generate frame layers (see above)
2. Click “…” to select export folder
3. Click “Export frames” → generates frame_0001.png, frame_0002.png, etc.
4. Import sequence to After Effects/Premiere/

Shape Packing

1. Draw container shape (must be largest by area)
2. Add objects to pack inside
3. Enable “Use biggest path as container“
4. Optional: Add padding (5-10px) for spacing
5. Drag apple icon to center/bottom
6. Click Play – objects fall and nest
7. Export when satisfied

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Use Cases

1. Short Animations

Falling letters: Type word → Outline → Ungroup → Import → Set bounce 0.05 → Play → Export frames → After Effects

Logo reveal: Break logo into parts → Scatter → Add container → Enable container mode → Simulate → Export (or reverse frames for assembly effect)

Why physics: Natural motion, realistic collisions, unique variations, faster than keyframing

2. Shape Packing

Product layouts: Draw bag/box outline (largest) → Add product icons → Container mode → Drag gravity around → Shapes pack automatically without overlap

Poster composition: Organic boundary → Content rectangles → Low gravity → Use apple icon to push/pull → Export layout → Place content

Techniques:

• Gravity sweep: Drag apple in circles to “shake” objects tighter
• Multi-pass: Pack set 1 → Export → Add set 2 → Re-import all → Continue
• Padding: 5-15px prevents visual overlap

3. Innovative Design

Generative patterns: Create shape library → Duplicate randomly → Import → Experiment with bounce/gravity → Export interesting moments → Layer results

Logo variations: Break into parts → Gentle simulation (low gravity, 5-10 steps) → Export → Repeat with tweaked settings → Compare options

Interactive sketching: Rough sketch → Import → Play with physics → Export promising arrangements → Refine in Illustrator → Iterate

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Technical

Performance:

• Keep paths simple (fewer vertices)
• <100 objects for real-time performance
• Lower accuracy value if slow (15-20 instead of 25)
• Step mode faster for animation export

Export behavior: Non-destructive transform of existing paths (doesn’t create new objects)

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Tips

Physics tuning:

• Realistic: bounce 0.01-0.1, gravity -98, friction 0.9
• Bouncy/cartoon: bounce 0.5-0.8, adjust gravity for float
• Quick settle: low bounce, high accuracy, moderate gravity

Shape packing:

• Container 30-50% larger than total object area
• Padding 5-15px prevents overlap
• Drag apple in circles to shake objects tighter

Animation:

• 10 FPS = 100 frames for 10 seconds
• Plan: Step count × iterations = target frames
• Delete frame layers after PNG export (large files)

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Troubleshooting

Objects not importing: Select paths, outline text (Type > Create Outlines), expand complex objects

For very complex objects its recommended to add clip masks and use Import clipmasks only setting.

Unstable/jittery: Increase accuracy to 30+, lower bounce <0.3, simplify paths

Objects fall through walls: Too fast – increase accuracy or enable container mode

Export doesn’t work: Unlock layers, ungroup objects, re-import to reset UUIDs

Preview animation fails: Need @P_XXXX layers with zero-padded numbers

Slow performance: Simplify paths, reduce object count <50, lower accuracy to 15-20

Container not working: Must be largest path by area, check orange border appears

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Settings Reference

Setting	Type	Range	Default	Effect
Body bounce	Number	0-1	0.01	Object restitution (0=no bounce, 1=perfect bounce)
Body mass	Number	0.1-10	1.0	Density (higher=heavier, affects momentum)
Body friction	Number	0-1	0.9	Surface friction (0=slippery, 1=sticky)
Wall bounce	Number	0-1	0.02	Container/boundary restitution
Engine accuracy	Number	1-120	25	Timestep rate (higher=more accurate/slower)
Step iterations	Number	1+	1	Simulation steps per click

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System Requirements

• Illustrator CC 2018+
• macOS 10.12+ or Windows 10+
• 8GB+ RAM recommended for complex simulations

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Version 1.0 | Physics Engine: Planck.js | Polygon Decomposition: poly-decomp.js