manimce-best-practices

## How to use Read individual rule files for detailed explanations and code examples: ### Core Concepts - [rules/scenes.md](rules/scenes.md) - Scene structure, construct method, and scene types - [rules/mobjects.md](rules/mobjects.md) - Mobject types, VMobject, Groups, and positioning - [rules/animations.md](rules/animations.md) - Animation classes, playing animations, and timing ### Creation & Transformation - [rules/creation-animations.md](rules/creation-animations.md) - Create, Write, FadeIn, DrawBorderThenFill - [rules/transform-animations.md](rules/transform-animations.md) - Transform, ReplacementTransform, morphing - [rules/animation-groups.md](rules/animation-groups.md) - AnimationGroup, LaggedStart, Succession ### Text & Math - [rules/text.md](rules/text.md) - Text mobjects, fonts, and styling - [rules/latex.md](rules/latex.md) - MathTex, Tex, LaTeX rendering, and coloring formulas - [rules/text-animations.md](rules/text-animations.md) - Write, AddTextLetterByLetter, TypeWithCursor ### Styling & Appearance - [rules/colors.md](rules/colors.md) - Color constants, gradients, and color manipulation - [rules/styling.md](rules/styling.md) - Fill, stroke, opacity, and visual properties ### Positioning & Layout - [rules/positioning.md](rules/positioning.md) - move_to, next_to, align_to, shift methods - [rules/grouping.md](rules/grouping.md) - VGroup, Group, arrange, and layout patterns ### Coordinate Systems & Graphing - [rules/axes.md](rules/axes.md) - Axes, NumberPlane, coordinate systems - [rules/graphing.md](rules/graphing.md) - Plotting functions, parametric curves - [rules/3d.md](rules/3d.md) - ThreeDScene, 3D axes, surfaces, camera orientation ### Animation Control - [rules/timing.md](rules/timing.md) - Rate functions, easing, run_time, lag_ratio - [rules/updaters.md](rules/updaters.md) - Updaters, ValueTracker, dynamic animations - [rules/camera.md](rules/camera.md) - MovingCameraScene, zoom, pan, frame manipulation ### Configuration & CLI - [rules/cli.md](rules/cli.md) - Command-line interface, rendering options, quality flags - [rules/config.md](rules/config.md) - Configuration system, manim.cfg, settings ### Shapes & Geometry - [rules/shapes.md](rules/shapes.md) - Circle, Square, Rectangle, Polygon, and geometric primitives - [rules/lines.md](rules/lines.md) - Line, Arrow, Vector, DashedLine, and connectors ## Working Examples Complete, tested example files demonstrating common patterns: - [examples/basic_animations.py](examples/basic_animations.py) - Shape creation, text, lagged animations, path movement - [examples/math_visualization.py](examples/math_visualization.py) - LaTeX equations, color-coded math, derivations - [examples/updater_patterns.py](examples/updater_patterns.py) - ValueTracker, dynamic animations, physics simulations - [examples/graph_plotting.py](examples/graph_plotting.py) - Axes, functions, areas, Riemann sums, polar plots - [examples/3d_visualization.py](examples/3d_visualization.py) - ThreeDScene, surfaces, 3D camera, parametric curves ## Scene Templates Copy and modify these templates to start new projects: - [templates/basic_scene.py](templates/basic_scene.py) - Standard 2D scene template - [templates/camera_scene.py](templates/camera_scene.py) - MovingCameraScene with zoom/pan - [templates/threed_scene.py](templates/threed_scene.py) - 3D scene with surfaces and camera rotation ## Quick Reference ### Basic Scene Structure ```python from manim import * class MyScene(Scene): def construct(self): # Create mobjects circle = Circle() # Add to scene (static) self.add(circle) # Or animate self.play(Create(circle)) # Wait self.wait(1) ``` ### Render Command ```bash # 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 ```