How to use
Read individual rule files for detailed explanations and code examples:
Core Concepts
- rules/scenes.md - InteractiveScene, Scene types, and construct method
- rules/mobjects.md - Mobject types, VMobject, Groups, and positioning
- rules/animations.md - Animation classes, playing animations, and timing
Creation & Transformation
- rules/creation-animations.md - ShowCreation, Write, FadeIn, DrawBorderThenFill
- rules/transform-animations.md - Transform, ReplacementTransform, TransformMatchingTex
- rules/animation-groups.md - LaggedStart, Succession, AnimationGroup
Text & Math
- rules/tex.md - Tex class, raw strings R"...", and LaTeX rendering
- rules/text.md - Text mobjects, fonts, and styling
- rules/t2c.md - tex_to_color_map (t2c) for coloring math expressions
Styling & Appearance
- rules/colors.md - Color constants, gradients, RGB, hex, GLSL coloring
- rules/styling.md - Fill, stroke, opacity, backstroke, gloss, shadow
3D & Camera
- rules/3d.md - 3D objects, surfaces, Sphere, Torus, parametric surfaces, lighting
- rules/camera.md - frame.reorient(), Euler angles, fix_in_frame(), camera animations
Interactive Development
- rules/interactive.md - Interactive mode with
-se flag, checkpoint_paste()
- rules/frame.md - self.frame, camera control, reorient, and zooming
- rules/embedding.md - self.embed() for IPython debugging, touch() mode
Configuration & CLI
- rules/cli.md - manimgl command, flags (-w, -o, -se, -l, -h), rendering options
- rules/config.md - custom_config.yml, directories, camera settings, quality presets
Working Examples
Complete, tested example files demonstrating common patterns:
- examples/basic_animations.py - Basic shapes, text, and animations
- examples/math_visualization.py - LaTeX equations and mathematical content
- examples/graph_plotting.py - Axes, functions, and graphing
- examples/3d_visualization.py - 3D scenes with camera control and surfaces
- examples/updater_patterns.py - Dynamic animations with updaters
Scene Templates
Copy and modify these templates to start new projects:
- templates/basic_scene.py - Standard 2D scene template
- templates/interactive_scene.py - InteractiveScene with self.embed()
- templates/3d_scene.py - 3D scene with frame.reorient()
- templates/math_scene.py - Mathematical derivations and equations
Quick Reference
Basic Scene Structure
from manimlib import *
class MyScene(InteractiveScene):
def construct(self):
# Create mobjects
circle = Circle()
# Add to scene (static)
self.add(circle)
# Or animate
self.play(ShowCreation(circle)) # Note: ShowCreation, not Create
# Wait
self.wait(1)
Render Command
# Render and preview
manimgl scene.py MyScene
# Interactive mode - drop into shell at line 15
manimgl scene.py MyScene -se 15
# Write to file
manimgl scene.py MyScene -w
# Low quality for testing
manimgl scene.py MyScene -l
Key Differences from ManimCE
| Feature | ManimGL (3b1b) | Manim Community |
|---|
| Import | from manimlib import * | from manim import * |
| CLI | manimgl | manim |
| Math text | Tex(R"\pi") | MathTex(r"\pi") |
| Scene | InteractiveScene |
Interactive Development Workflow
ManimGL's killer feature is interactive development:
# Start at line 20 with state preserved
manimgl scene.py MyScene -se 20
In interactive mode:
# Copy code to clipboard, then run:
checkpoint_paste() # Run with animations
checkpoint_paste(skip=True) # Run instantly (no animations)
checkpoint_paste(record=True) # Record while running
Camera Control (self.frame)
# Get the camera frame
frame = self.frame
# Reorient in 3D (phi, theta, gamma, center, height)
frame.reorient(45, -30, 0, ORIGIN, 8)
# Animate camera movement
self.play(frame.animate.reorient(60, -45, 0))
# Fix mobjects to stay in screen space during 3D movement
title.fix_in_frame()
LaTeX with Tex class
# Use raw strings with capital R
formula = Tex(R"\int_0^1 x^2 \, dx = \frac{1}{3}")
# Color mapping with t2c
equation = Tex(
R"E = mc^2",
t2c={"E": BLUE, "m": GREEN, "c": YELLOW}
)
# Isolate substrings for animation
formula = Tex(R"\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{n^2} = \frac{\pi^2}{6}")
formula.set_color_by_tex("n", BLUE)
Common Patterns
Embedding for debugging
def construct(self):
circle = Circle()
self.play(ShowCreation(circle))
self.embed() # Drops into IPython shell here
Set floor plane for 3D
self.set_floor_plane("xz") # Makes xy the viewing plane
Backstroke for text readability
text = Text("Label")
text.set_backstroke(BLACK, 5) # Black outline behind text
Installation
# Install ManimGL
pip install manimgl
# Check installation
manimgl --version
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Version confusion - Ensure you're using
manimgl, not manim (community version)
- ShowCreation vs Create - ManimGL uses
ShowCreation, not Create
- Tex vs MathTex - ManimGL uses
Tex with capital R raw strings
- self.frame vs self.camera.frame - ManimGL uses
self.frame directly
- fix_in_frame() - Call on the mobject, not the scene
- Interactive mode - Use
-se flag for interactive development
License & Attribution
This skill contains example code adapted from 3Blue1Brown's video repository by Grant Sanderson.
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- Attribution required - Credit both 3Blue1Brown and the adapter
- NonCommercial - Not for commercial use
- ShareAlike - Derivatives must use the same license
See LICENSE.txt for full details.
