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Manim CE animations: 3Blue1Brown math/algo videos.
Join a Google Meet call, transcribe live captions, optionally speak in realtime, and do the followup work afterwards. Use when the user asks the agent to sit in on a meeting, take notes, summarize, respond in-call, or action items from it.
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Delegate coding to OpenAI Codex CLI (features, PRs).
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Configure, extend, or contribute to Hermes Agent.
Modify, debug, or extend the s6-overlay supervision tree inside the Hermes Agent Docker image — adding new services, debugging profile gateways, understanding the Architecture B main-program pattern.
| name | manim-video |
| description | Manim CE animations: 3Blue1Brown math/algo videos. |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| platforms | ["linux","macos","windows"] |
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. Creates 3Blue1Brown-style explainer videos, algorithm visualizations, equation derivations, architecture diagrams, and data stories using Manim Community Edition.
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.
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.
| 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 |
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 |
PLAN --> CODE --> RENDER --> STITCH --> AUDIO (optional) --> REVIEW
plan.md with narrative arc, scene list, visual elements, color palette, voiceover scriptscript.py with one class per scene, each independently renderablemanim -ql script.py Scene1 Scene2 ... for draft, -qh for productionfinal.mp4references/rendering.mdproject-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/
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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.
Never use identical config for all scenes. For each scene:
Before any code, write plan.md. See references/scene-planning.md for the comprehensive template.
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:
self.add_subcaption("text", duration=N) or subcaption="text" on self.play()self.camera.background_color set in every sceneself.play(FadeOut(Group(*self.mobjects)))manim -ql script.py Scene1_Introduction Scene2_CoreConcept # draft
manim -qh script.py Scene1_Introduction Scene2_CoreConcept # production
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
manim -ql --format=png -s script.py Scene2_CoreConcept # preview still
# WRONG: MathTex("\frac{1}{2}")
# RIGHT:
MathTex(r"\frac{1}{2}")
label.to_edge(DOWN, buff=0.5) # never < 0.5
self.play(ReplacementTransform(note1, note2)) # not Write(note2) on top
self.play(Create(circle)) # must add first
self.play(circle.animate.set_color(RED)) # then animate
| 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.
| 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 |
If the user asks for creative, experimental, or unconventional explanatory approaches, select a strategy and reason through it BEFORE designing the animation.
Take a standard mathematical/technical visualization and transform it: