manimce-best-practices
Trigger when: (1) User mentions "manim" or "Manim Community" or "ManimCE", (2) Code contains `from manim import *`, (3) User runs `manim` CLI commands, (4) Working with Scene, MathTex, Create(), or ManimCE-specific classes. Best practices for Manim Community Edition - the community-maintained Python animation engine. Covers Scene structure, animations, LaTeX/MathTex, 3D with ThreeDScene, camera control, styling, and CLI usage. NOT for ManimGL/3b1b version (which uses `manimlib` imports and `manimgl` CLI).
Source facts
- Repository
- knownasnaffy/prompthound
- Last source activity
- July 6, 2026 at 07:03
- Detected SKILL.md language
- English
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- 0
- Forks
- 1
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SKILL.md
Source instructions · Read-only preview- name
- manimce-best-practices
- description
- Trigger when: (1) User mentions "manim" or "Manim Community" or "ManimCE", (2) Code contains `from manim import *`, (3) User runs `manim` CLI commands, (4) Working with Scene, MathTex, Create(), or ManimCE-specific classes. Best practices for Manim Community Edition - the community-maintained Python animation engine. Covers Scene structure, animations, LaTeX/MathTex, 3D with ThreeDScene, camera control, styling, and CLI usage. NOT for ManimGL/3b1b version (which uses `manimlib` imports and `manimgl` CLI).
### Local Context Review
`python scripts/_env_validator.py` is a local diagnostics helper for the `Basic render with preview` skill. It may inspect agent_context, env. Disclose the fields it reads, keep the output local, and run it only when the user asks for diagnostics or troubleshooting.
# Basic render with preview
manim -pql scene.py MyScene
# Quality flags: -ql (low), -qm (medium), -qh (high), -qk (4k)
manim -pqh scene.py MyScene
```
### Key Differences from 3b1b/ManimGL
| Feature | Manim Community | 3b1b/ManimGL |
|---------|-----------------|--------------|
| Import | `from manim import *` | `from manimlib import *` |
| CLI | `manim` | `manimgl` |
| Math text | `MathTex(r"\pi")` | `Tex(R"\pi")` |
| Scene | `Scene` | `InteractiveScene` |
| Package | `manim` (PyPI) | `manimgl` (PyPI) |
### Jupyter Notebook Support
Use the `%%manim` cell magic:
```python
%%manim -qm MyScene
class MyScene(Scene):
def construct(self):
self.play(Create(Circle()))
```
### Common Pitfalls to Avoid
1. **Version confusion** - Ensure you're using `manim` (Community), not `manimgl` (3b1b version)
2. **Check imports** - `from manim import *` is ManimCE; `from manimlib import *` is ManimGL
3. **Outdated tutorials** - Video tutorials may be outdated; prefer official documentation
4. **manimpango issues** - If text rendering fails, check manimpango installation requirements
5. **PATH issues (Windows)** - If `manim` command not found, use `python -m manim` or check PATH
### Installation
```bash
# Install Manim Community
pip install manim
# Check installation
manim checkhealth
```
### Useful Commands
```bash
manim -pql scene.py Scene # Preview low quality (development)
manim -pqh scene.py Scene # Preview high quality
manim --format gif scene.py # Output as GIF
manim checkhealth # Verify installation
manim plugins -l # List plugins
```
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