I built a free local-first VFX browser for previewing 2D PNG sequence effects

Hi everyone, I’m the developer of VFXRun.

It’s not a Godot plugin, but it’s a free external tool I built for browsing and previewing local 2D VFX PNG sequences before importing them into Godot or another engine.

I made it because I kept running into the same workflow problem: folders full of PNG sequence effects, but no easy way to preview them as real animations. Static thumbnails don’t really show how a slash, hit effect, buff, explosion, or UI animation actually moves.

VFXRun Browser scans a local folder, groups PNG sequences, and lets you preview them as animations right away.

Main features:

  • Browse local PNG sequence effects and GIFs
  • Preview effects as animations before importing them into Godot
  • Search by filename
  • Filter by color or effect type
  • Mark useful effects as favorites
  • Open the original folder when you are ready to use an effect
  • Test effects with a background, character, or object
  • Move, scale, rotate, and flip effects before exporting

VFXRun is local-first:

  • No upload
  • No account required
  • Your files stay on your computer

Download:

Demo video:

I also made SheetGen, a free browser-based sprite sheet packing tool:

This is still an early version, so feedback from Godot and 2D game developers would be really helpful.

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