manim-video

name manim-video description Production pipeline for mathematical and technical animations using Manim Community Edition. Creates 3Blue1Brown-style explainer videos, algorithm visualizations, equation derivations, architecture diagrams, and data stories. Use when users request: animated explanations, math animations, concept visualizations, algorithm walkthroughs, technical explainers, 3Blue1Brown style videos, or any programmatic animation with geometric/mathematical content. version 1.0.0 Manim Video Production Pipeline Creative Standard This is educational cinema. Every frame teaches. Every animation reveals structure. Before writing a single line of code , articulate the narrative arc. What misconception does this correct? What is the "aha moment"? What visual story takes the viewer from confusion to understanding? The user's prompt is a starting point — interpret it with pedagogical ambition. Geometry before algebra. Show the shape first, the equation second. Visual memory encodes faster than symbolic memory. When the viewer sees the geometric pattern before the formula, the equation feels earned. First-render excellence is non-negotiable. The output must be visually clear and aesthetically cohesive without revision rounds. If something looks cluttered, poorly timed, or like "AI-generated slides," it is wrong. Opacity layering directs attention. Never show everything at full brightness. Primary elements at 1.0, contextual elements at 0.4, structural elements (axes, grids) at 0.15. The brain processes visual salience in layers. Breathing room. Every animation needs self.wait() after it. The viewer needs time to absorb what just appeared. Never rush from one animation to the next. A 2-second pause after a key reveal is never wasted. Cohesive visual language. All scenes share a color palette, consistent typography sizing, matching animation speeds. A technically correct video where every scene uses random different colors is an aesthetic failure. Prerequisites Run scripts/setup.sh to verify all dependencies. Requires: Python 3.10+, Manim Community Edition v0.20+ ( pip install manim ), LaTeX ( texlive-full on Linux, mactex on macOS), and ffmpeg. Reference docs tested against Manim CE v0.20.1. Modes Mode Input Output Reference Concept explainer Topic/concept Animated explanation with geometric intuition references/scene-planning.md Equation derivation Math expressions Step-by-step animated proof references/equations.md Algorithm visualization Algorithm description Step-by-step execution with data structures references/graphs-and-data.md Data story Data/metrics Animated charts, comparisons, counters references/graphs-and-data.md Architecture diagram System description Components building up with connections references/mobjects.md Paper explainer Research paper Key findings and methods animated references/scene-planning.md 3D visualization 3D concept Rotating surfaces, parametric curves, spatial geometry references/camera-and-3d.md Stack Single Python script per project. No browser, no Node.js, no GPU required. Layer Tool Purpose Core Manim Community Edition Scene rendering, animation engine Math LaTeX (texlive/MiKTeX) Equation rendering via MathTex Video I/O ffmpeg Scene stitching, format conversion, audio muxing TTS ElevenLabs / Qwen3-TTS (optional) Narration voiceover Pipeline PLAN --> CODE --> RENDER --> STITCH --> AUDIO (optional) --> REVIEW PLAN — Write plan.md with narrative arc, scene list, visual elements, color palette, voiceover script CODE — Write script.py with one class per scene, each independently renderable RENDER — manim -ql script.py Scene1 Scene2 ... for draft, -qh for production STITCH — ffmpeg concat of scene clips into final.mp4 AUDIO (optional) — Add voiceover and/or background music via ffmpeg. See references/rendering.md REVIEW — Render preview stills, verify against plan, adjust Project Structure project-name/ plan.md # Narrative arc, scene breakdown script.py # All scenes in one file concat.txt # ffmpeg scene list final.mp4 # Stitched output media/ # Auto-generated by Manim videos/script/480p15/ Creative Direction Color Palettes Palette Background Primary Secondary Accent Use case Classic 3B1B #1C1C1C #58C4DD (BLUE) #83C167 (GREEN) #FFFF00 (YELLOW) General math/CS Warm academic #2D2B55 #FF6B6B #FFD93D #6BCB77 Approachable Neon tech #0A0A0A #00F5FF #FF00FF #39FF14 Systems, architecture Monochrome #1A1A2E #EAEAEA #888888 #FFFFFF Minimalist Animation Speed Context run_time self.wait() after Title/intro appear 1.5s 1.0s Key equation reveal 2.0s 2.0s Transform/morph 1.5s 1.5s Supporting label 0.8s 0.5s FadeOut cleanup 0.5s 0.3s "Aha moment" reveal 2.5s 3.0s Typography Scale Role Font size Usage Title 48 Scene titles, opening text Heading 36 Section headers within a scene Body 30 Explanatory text Label 24 Annotations, axis labels Caption 20 Subtitles, fine print Fonts Use monospace fonts for all text. Manim's Pango renderer produces broken kerning with proportional fonts at all sizes. See references/visual-design.md for full recommendations. MONO = "Menlo" # define once at top of file Text( "Fourier Series" , font_size= 48 , font=MONO, weight=BOLD) # titles Text( "n=1: sin(x)" , font_size= 20 , font=MONO) # labels MathTex( r"\nabla L" ) # math (uses LaTeX) Minimum font_size=18 for readability. Per-Scene Variation Never use identical config for all scenes. For each scene: Different dominant color from the palette Different layout — don't always center everything Different animation entry — vary between Write, FadeIn, GrowFromCenter, Create Different visual weight — some scenes dense, others sparse Workflow Step 1: Plan (plan.md) Before any code, write plan.md . See references/scene-planning.md for the comprehensive template. Step 2: Code (script.py) One class per scene. Every scene is independently renderable. from manim import * BG = "#1C1C1C" PRIMARY = "#58C4DD" SECONDARY = "#83C167" ACCENT = "#FFFF00" MONO = "Menlo" class Scene1_Introduction ( Scene ): def construct ( self ): self .camera.background_color = BG title = Text( "Why Does This Work?" , font_size= 48 , color=PRIMARY, weight=BOLD, font=MONO) self .add_subcaption( "Why does this work?" , duration= 2 ) self .play(Write(title), run_time= 1.5 ) self .wait( 1.0 ) self .play(FadeOut(title), run_time= 0.5 ) Key patterns: Subtitles on every animation: self.add_subcaption("text", duration=N) or subcaption="text" on self.play() Shared color constants at file top for cross-scene consistency self.camera.background_color set in every scene Clean exits — FadeOut all mobjects at scene end: self.play(FadeOut(Group(*self.mobjects))) Step 3: Render manim -ql script.py Scene1_Introduction Scene2_CoreConcept # draft manim -qh script.py Scene1_Introduction Scene2_CoreConcept # production Step 4: Stitch cat > concat.txt << 'EOF' file 'media/videos/script/480p15/Scene1_Introduction.mp4' file 'media/videos/script/480p15/Scene2_CoreConcept.mp4' EOF ffmpeg -y -f concat -safe 0 -i concat.txt -c copy final.mp4 Step 5: Review manim -ql --format=png -s script.py Scene2_CoreConcept # preview still Critical Implementation Notes Raw Strings for LaTeX # WRONG: MathTex("\frac{1}{2}") # RIGHT: MathTex( r"\frac{1}{2}" ) buff >= 0.5 for Edge Text label.to_edge(DOWN, buff= 0.5 ) # never < 0.5 FadeOut Before Replacing Text self .play(ReplacementTransform(note1, note2)) # not Write(note2) on top Never Animate Non-Added Mobjects self .play(Create(circle)) # must add first self .play(circle.animate.set_color(RED)) # then animate Performance Targets Quality Resolution FPS Speed -ql (draft) 854x480 15 5-15s/scene -qm (medium) 1280x720 30 15-60s/scene -qh (production) 1920x1080 60 30-120s/scene Always iterate at -ql . Only render -qh for final output. References File Contents references/animations.md Core animations, rate functions, composition, .animate syntax, timing patterns references/mobjects.md Text, shapes, VGroup/Group, positioning, styling, custom mobjects references/visual-design.md 12 design principles, opacity layering, layout templates, color palettes references/equations.md LaTeX in Manim, TransformMatchingTex, derivation patterns references/graphs-and-data.md Axes, plotting, BarChart, animated data, algorithm visualization references/camera-and-3d.md MovingCameraScene, ThreeDScene, 3D surfaces, camera control references/scene-planning.md Narrative arcs, layout templates, scene transitions, planning template references/rendering.md CLI reference, quality presets, ffmpeg, voiceover workflow, GIF export references/troubleshooting.md LaTeX errors, animation errors, common mistakes, debugging references/animation-design-thinking.md When to animate vs show static, decomposition, pacing, narration sync references/updaters-and-trackers.md ValueTracker, add_updater, always_redraw, time-based updaters, patterns references/paper-explainer.md Turning research papers into animations — workflow, templates, domain patterns references/decorations.md SurroundingRectangle, Brace, arrows, DashedLine, Angle, annotation lifecycle references/production-quality.md Pre-code, pre-render, post-render checklists, spatial layout, color, tempo Creative Divergence (use only when user requests experimental/creative/unique output) If the user asks for creative, experimental, or unconventional explanatory approaches, select a strategy and reason through it BEFORE designing the animation. SCAMPER — when the user wants a fresh take on a standard explanation Assumption Reversal — when the user wants to challenge how something is typically taught SCAMPER Transformation Take a standard mathematical/technical visualization and transform it: Substitute : replace the standard visual metaphor (number line → winding path, matrix → city grid) Combine : merge two explanation approaches (algebraic + geometric simultaneously) Reverse : derive backward — start from the result and deconstruct to axioms Modify : exaggerate a parameter to show why it matters (10x the learning rate, 1000x the sample size) Eliminate : remove all notation — explain purely through animation and spatial relationships Assumption Reversal List what's "standard" about how this topic is visualized (left-to-right, 2D, discrete steps, formal notation) Pick the most fundamental assumption Reverse it (right-to-left derivation, 3D embedding of a 2D concept, continuous morphing instead of steps, zero notation) Explore what the reversal reveals that the standard approach hides