Satisfying loops: pendulums, plinko and marble runs

Updated September 18, 20262 min read

How do you make the oddly satisfying physics loops that run under Shorts and Reels without them jumping at the loop point?

Drive the motion from maths that closes on itself rather than from a simulation you cut short. Every preset here picks frequencies, path lengths and reset points so the last frame is identical to the first, which means the clip can run under a video for minutes without a visible seam.

Mechanism loops are the workhorse of retention backgrounds: a pendulum wave braiding and realigning, balls raining through a peg board, marbles rolling a zig-zag track. They are slow to build by hand because every ball, peg and tile is its own layer with its own timing. These presets generate the whole mechanism from a count, a speed and a palette.

Five kinetic & satisfying loops presets to start from

Hover any card to play it. Opening one loads it in the editor with every control unlocked.

Pendulum Wave
12s
Seen from above, a row of pendulums swings across the rail at rising frequencies, drifting out of phase into snakes and braids before snapping back into one straight line.
Plinko Ball Drop
8s
Balls rain through a triangle of pegs, hopping left or right at every row, and the bins below rise and fall into the bell curve their landings draw.
Marble Run Track
9s
Marbles roll down a stack of zig-zag ramps, drop to the rail below and ride a side lift back to the top, so the run never empties.
Domino Chain Reaction
7s
A line of dominoes topples along a rolling ground line, each tile tipping into the next, and stands itself back up behind the wave.
Newton's Cradle
5s
The end ball lifts and drops, momentum crosses the still row without moving it, and the ball at the far end kicks out in its place.

All kinetic & satisfying loops

Which format should you export?

MP4 at 9:16 for Shorts, Reels and TikTok, 16:9 for stream backgrounds and video beds. Every preset is a true loop, so you can repeat the clip end to end in your editor with no crossfade.

Format: MP4 H.264 · WebM VP9
Alpha: Transparent WebM
Resolution: 720p to 8K
Aspect: 16:9 · 9:16 · 1:1 · 4:5
License: Commercial use included

Three tips that make it look intentional

For split-screen filler, export at 9:16 and let the mechanism run the full height. The layouts re-stack for tall frames rather than cropping.
Longer durations slow the mechanism down instead of repeating it, so pick the duration that matches the pace you want.
Change the Variation value to reseed which way the balls scatter without touching any other control.

Three things people get wrong

Adding a crossfade at the loop point. It is not needed and it is the thing that makes the seam visible.
Turning the speed so high that the motion strobes at 30 fps. Keep the fastest element under a few cycles per second.
Using a busy gradient background under an already busy mechanism. The motion is the subject, so let the backdrop stay flat.

Frequently asked

Are these real physics?

The timing is derived from the real relationships, for example a pendulum's period from its arm length and a gear's speed from its tooth count, then solved so the motion lands exactly on the loop point.

Can I loop the clip forever?

Yes. The last frame matches the first, and the export never writes a duplicate frame, so you can repeat the file back to back for as long as you need.

For stock sellers
How to sell motion graphics on stock footage sites
Pick a marketplace and pass its review, produce clips that answer briefs rather than showcase technique, submit each one with a title, description and keyword list, and build a catalogue rather than a portfolio. Income comes from coverage over time, not from any single upload.
Read the guide
For stock sellers
Keywording stock video: what marketplaces actually match on
Describe the literal content first, then the attributes a buyer filters by (colour, orientation, duration, transparency, format), and only then the mood or style words. Search engines match on what is in the frame far more reliably than on how the clip feels.
Read the guide
For stock sellers
What sells: motion graphics with standing demand
The recurring furniture of edited video: lower thirds, titles, transitions, subscribe and follow prompts, sale badges, animated charts and counters, loaders, countdowns and seamless backgrounds. They are needed on almost every project, which makes demand continuous rather than seasonal.
Read the guide

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Kinetic & Satisfying Loops

Satisfying loops: pendulums, plinko and marble runs

Updated September 18, 20262 min read

How do you make the oddly satisfying physics loops that run under Shorts and Reels without them jumping at the loop point?

Five kinetic & satisfying loops presets to start from

Hover any card to play it. Opening one loads it in the editor with every control unlocked.

Pendulum Wave
12s
Seen from above, a row of pendulums swings across the rail at rising frequencies, drifting out of phase into snakes and braids before snapping back into one straight line.
Plinko Ball Drop
8s
Balls rain through a triangle of pegs, hopping left or right at every row, and the bins below rise and fall into the bell curve their landings draw.
Marble Run Track
9s
Marbles roll down a stack of zig-zag ramps, drop to the rail below and ride a side lift back to the top, so the run never empties.
Domino Chain Reaction
7s
A line of dominoes topples along a rolling ground line, each tile tipping into the next, and stands itself back up behind the wave.
Newton's Cradle
5s
The end ball lifts and drops, momentum crosses the still row without moving it, and the ball at the far end kicks out in its place.

All kinetic & satisfying loops

Which format should you export?

MP4 at 9:16 for Shorts, Reels and TikTok, 16:9 for stream backgrounds and video beds. Every preset is a true loop, so you can repeat the clip end to end in your editor with no crossfade.

Format: MP4 H.264 · WebM VP9
Alpha: Transparent WebM
Resolution: 720p to 8K
Aspect: 16:9 · 9:16 · 1:1 · 4:5
License: Commercial use included

Three tips that make it look intentional

For split-screen filler, export at 9:16 and let the mechanism run the full height. The layouts re-stack for tall frames rather than cropping.
Longer durations slow the mechanism down instead of repeating it, so pick the duration that matches the pace you want.
Change the Variation value to reseed which way the balls scatter without touching any other control.

Three things people get wrong

Adding a crossfade at the loop point. It is not needed and it is the thing that makes the seam visible.
Turning the speed so high that the motion strobes at 30 fps. Keep the fastest element under a few cycles per second.
Using a busy gradient background under an already busy mechanism. The motion is the subject, so let the backdrop stay flat.

Frequently asked

Are these real physics?

Can I loop the clip forever?

Yes. The last frame matches the first, and the export never writes a duplicate frame, so you can repeat the file back to back for as long as you need.

For stock sellers
How to sell motion graphics on stock footage sites
Pick a marketplace and pass its review, produce clips that answer briefs rather than showcase technique, submit each one with a title, description and keyword list, and build a catalogue rather than a portfolio. Income comes from coverage over time, not from any single upload.
Read the guide
For stock sellers
Keywording stock video: what marketplaces actually match on
Describe the literal content first, then the attributes a buyer filters by (colour, orientation, duration, transparency, format), and only then the mood or style words. Search engines match on what is in the frame far more reliably than on how the clip feels.
Read the guide
For stock sellers
What sells: motion graphics with standing demand
The recurring furniture of edited video: lower thirds, titles, transitions, subscribe and follow prompts, sale badges, animated charts and counters, loaders, countdowns and seamless backgrounds. They are needed on almost every project, which makes demand continuous rather than seasonal.
Read the guide

Make your next clipin the next five minutes

Editing and previewing are free. You only spend a credit when the finished file lands on your machine.

Create your first animation free Browse the library

How do you make the oddly satisfying physics loops that run under Shorts and Reels without them jumping at the loop point?

Five kinetic & satisfying loops presets to start from

Which format should you export?

Three tips that make it look intentional

Three things people get wrong

Frequently asked

Are these real physics?

Can I loop the clip forever?

Keep reading

Make your next clipin the next five minutes

How do you make the oddly satisfying physics loops that run under Shorts and Reels without them jumping at the loop point?

Five kinetic & satisfying loops presets to start from

Which format should you export?

Three tips that make it look intentional

Three things people get wrong

Frequently asked

Are these real physics?

Can I loop the clip forever?

Keep reading

Make your next clipin the next five minutes