diff --git a/components/nifbullet/bulletnifloader.cpp b/components/nifbullet/bulletnifloader.cpp
index 33c8c449d..495c6ba50 100644
--- a/components/nifbullet/bulletnifloader.cpp
+++ b/components/nifbullet/bulletnifloader.cpp
@@ -66,11 +66,6 @@ BulletNifLoader::~BulletNifLoader()
 {
 }
 
-void BulletNifLoader::setAnimatedNodes(const std::set<std::string> &animatedNodes)
-{
-    mAnimatedNodes = animatedNodes;
-}
-
 osg::ref_ptr<BulletShape> BulletNifLoader::load(const Nif::NIFFilePtr nif)
 {
     mShape = new BulletShape;
@@ -110,7 +105,20 @@ osg::ref_ptr<BulletShape> BulletNifLoader::load(const Nif::NIFFilePtr nif)
     else
     {
         bool autogenerated = hasAutoGeneratedCollision(node);
-        handleNode(node, 0, autogenerated, false, autogenerated);
+        bool isAnimated = false;
+
+        // files with the name convention xmodel.nif usually have keyframes stored in a separate file xmodel.kf (see Animation::addAnimSource).
+        // assume all nodes in the file will be animated
+        std::string filename = nif->getFilename();
+        size_t slashpos = filename.find_last_of("/\\");
+        if (slashpos == std::string::npos)
+            slashpos = 0;
+        if (slashpos+1 < filename.size() && (filename[slashpos+1] == 'x' || filename[slashpos+1] == 'X'))
+        {
+            isAnimated = true;
+        }
+
+        handleNode(node, 0, autogenerated, isAnimated, autogenerated);
 
         if (mCompoundShape)
         {
@@ -192,9 +200,6 @@ void BulletNifLoader::handleNode(const Nif::Node *node, int flags,
             && (node->controller->flags & Nif::NiNode::ControllerFlag_Active))
         isAnimated = true;
 
-    if (mAnimatedNodes.find(node->name) != mAnimatedNodes.end())
-        isAnimated = true;
-
     isCollisionNode = isCollisionNode || (node->recType == Nif::RC_RootCollisionNode);
 
     // Don't collide with AvoidNode shapes
diff --git a/components/nifbullet/bulletnifloader.hpp b/components/nifbullet/bulletnifloader.hpp
index 0865b134a..52428cc74 100644
--- a/components/nifbullet/bulletnifloader.hpp
+++ b/components/nifbullet/bulletnifloader.hpp
@@ -91,8 +91,6 @@ public:
         abort();
     }
 
-    void setAnimatedNodes(const std::set<std::string>& animatedNodes);
-
     osg::ref_ptr<BulletShape> load(const Nif::NIFFilePtr file);
 
 private:
@@ -108,8 +106,6 @@ private:
 
     btTriangleMesh* mStaticMesh;
 
-    std::set<std::string> mAnimatedNodes;
-
     osg::ref_ptr<BulletShape> mShape;
 };
 
diff --git a/components/nifbullet/bulletshapemanager.cpp b/components/nifbullet/bulletshapemanager.cpp
index e53a351cf..57848ab81 100644
--- a/components/nifbullet/bulletshapemanager.cpp
+++ b/components/nifbullet/bulletshapemanager.cpp
@@ -34,20 +34,7 @@ osg::ref_ptr<BulletShapeInstance> BulletShapeManager::createInstance(const std::
 
         // TODO: add support for non-NIF formats
 
-        std::string kfname = normalized;
-        if(kfname.size() > 4 && kfname.compare(kfname.size()-4, 4, ".nif") == 0)
-            kfname.replace(kfname.size()-4, 4, ".kf");
-        std::set<std::string> animatedNodes;
-        if (mVFS->exists(kfname))
-        {
-            osg::ref_ptr<const NifOsg::KeyframeHolder> keyframes = mSceneManager->getKeyframes(kfname);
-            for (NifOsg::KeyframeHolder::KeyframeControllerMap::const_iterator it = keyframes->mKeyframeControllers.begin();
-                 it != keyframes->mKeyframeControllers.end(); ++it)
-                animatedNodes.insert(it->first);
-        }
-
         BulletNifLoader loader;
-        loader.setAnimatedNodes(animatedNodes);
         // might be worth sharing NIFFiles with SceneManager in some way
         shape = loader.load(Nif::NIFFilePtr(new Nif::NIFFile(file, normalized)));