What It Does
Bevelizer turns flat text and shapes into 3D beveled surfaces directly inside After Effects. Using GPU acceleration (CUDA/Metal), it renders at 60fps at 1080p resolution with a CPU fallback for compatibility. The plugin creates chamfer effects where you control the bevel profile, lighting, and appearance through an extensive matcap library and custom curve editor.
Key Features
Shape Source Detection. Choose how the plugin reads your layer: Luma mode detects edges based on brightness (useful for video footage), Alpha mode uses transparency for clean isolation (ideal for text, vectors, logos), or Height Map mode interprets luminance as depth data for displacement effects. Threshold controls let you fine-tune exactly which boundaries get beveled.
Custom Bevel Curves. The built-in bezier curve editor supports up to 16 control points, letting you design the exact profile of your bevel. Whether you want sharp edges, smooth gradients, or complex multi-stage curves, you control the shape. All parameters are keyframable for animation.
82 Matcap Presets. The plugin includes professional environment maps across five categories: Crystals (10 gem-like reflective surfaces), Matte (31 soft diffuse materials), Metallic (11 chrome and metal finishes), Plastic (12 glossy polymer looks), and Stylized (18 artistic and toon shaders). Or use your own custom matcap layer. The companion Bevelizer Creator web tool (free, browser-based) lets you design custom matcaps with one-click access from the plugin interface.
Bevel Controls. Size sets the width of the bevel, smoothness applies Gaussian blur for gradients (using separable blur for performance), and height/direction ranges from -100 to +100. Negative values create inset effects, positive values produce raised surfaces. Rotate the environment lighting 360° and switch between MatCap (spherical mapping) and Planar modes.
Randomize Feature. Stuck creatively? The randomize button generates fresh combinations of parameters and materials. Smart jitter applies subtle variations, full shuffle randomly picks curve presets and matcaps.
Who It’s For
Motion designers building title sequences, logo animations, or any project needing dimensional text effects. 3D artists who want quick beveled surfaces without leaving After Effects. Anyone working with kinetic typography who needs control over lighting and surface appearance.
Pricing
Bevelizer costs $69.99 as a one-time purchase. Upgrade pricing is available at a reduced rate for previous buyers (requires login to view). The license includes one installation plus one archival copy. A trial version is available from the aescripts product page. Compatible with After Effects CC 2015.3 and newer, rendering in 32-bit float precision.