manimgl-best-practices

## How to use Read individual rule files for detailed explanations and code examples: ### Core Concepts - [rules/scenes.md](rules/scenes.md) - InteractiveScene, Scene types, and construct method - [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) - ShowCreation, Write, FadeIn, DrawBorderThenFill - [rules/transform-animations.md](rules/transform-animations.md) - Transform, ReplacementTransform, TransformMatchingTex - [rules/animation-groups.md](rules/animation-groups.md) - LaggedStart, Succession, AnimationGroup ### Text & Math - [rules/tex.md](rules/tex.md) - Tex class, raw strings R"...", and LaTeX rendering - [rules/text.md](rules/text.md) - Text mobjects, fonts, and styling - [rules/t2c.md](rules/t2c.md) - tex_to_color_map (t2c) for coloring math expressions ### Styling & Appearance - [rules/colors.md](rules/colors.md) - Color constants, gradients, RGB, hex, GLSL coloring - [rules/styling.md](rules/styling.md) - Fill, stroke, opacity, backstroke, gloss, shadow ### 3D & Camera - [rules/3d.md](rules/3d.md) - 3D objects, surfaces, Sphere, Torus, parametric surfaces, lighting - [rules/camera.md](rules/camera.md) - frame.reorient(), Euler angles, fix_in_frame(), camera animations ### Interactive Development - [rules/interactive.md](rules/interactive.md) - Interactive mode with `-se` flag, checkpoint_paste() - [rules/frame.md](rules/frame.md) - self.frame, camera control, reorient, and zooming - [rules/embedding.md](rules/embedding.md) - self.embed() for IPython debugging, touch() mode ### Configuration & CLI - [rules/cli.md](rules/cli.md) - manimgl command, flags (-w, -o, -se, -l, -h), rendering options - [rules/config.md](rules/config.md) - custom_config.yml, directories, camera settings, quality presets ## Working Examples Complete, tested example files demonstrating common patterns: - [examples/basic_animations.py](examples/basic_animations.py) - Basic shapes, text, and animations - [examples/math_visualization.py](examples/math_visualization.py) - LaTeX equations and mathematical content - [examples/graph_plotting.py](examples/graph_plotting.py) - Axes, functions, and graphing - [examples/3d_visualization.py](examples/3d_visualization.py) - 3D scenes with camera control and surfaces - [examples/updater_patterns.py](examples/updater_patterns.py) - Dynamic animations with updaters ## Scene Templates Copy and modify these templates to start new projects: - [templates/basic_scene.py](templates/basic_scene.py) - Standard 2D scene template - [templates/interactive_scene.py](templates/interactive_scene.py) - InteractiveScene with self.embed() - [templates/3d_scene.py](templates/3d_scene.py) - 3D scene with frame.reorient() - [templates/math_scene.py](templates/math_scene.py) - Mathematical derivations and equations ## Quick Reference ### Basic Scene Structure ```python 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 ```bash # 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` | `Scene` | | Create anim | `ShowCreation` | `Create` | | Camera | `self.frame` | `self.camera.frame` | | Fix in frame | `mob.fix_in_frame()` | `self.add_fixed_in_frame_mobjects(mob)` | | Package | `manimgl` (PyPI) | `manim` (PyPI) | ### Interactive Development Workflow ManimGL's killer feature is interactive development: ```bash # Start at line 20 with state preserved manimgl scene.py MyScene -se 20 ``` In interactive mode: ```python # 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) ```python # 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 ```python # 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 ```python def construct(self): circle = Circle() self.play(ShowCreation(circle)) self.embed() # Drops into IPython shell here ``` #### Set floor plane for 3D ```python self.set_floor_plane("xz") # Makes xy the viewing plane ``` #### Backstroke for text readability ```python text = Text("Label") text.set_backstroke(BLACK, 5) # Black outline behind text ``` ### Installation ```bash # Install ManimGL pip install manimgl # Check installation manimgl --version ``` ### Common Pitfalls to Avoid 1. **Version confusion** - Ensure you're using `manimgl`, not `manim` (community version) 2. **ShowCreation vs Create** - ManimGL uses `ShowCreation`, not `Create` 3. **Tex vs MathTex** - ManimGL uses `Tex` with capital R raw strings 4. **self.frame vs self.camera.frame** - ManimGL uses `self.frame` directly 5. **fix_in_frame()** - Call on the mobject, not the scene 6. **Interactive mode** - Use `-se` flag for interactive development ## License & Attribution This skill contains example code adapted from [3Blue1Brown's video repository](https://github.com/3b1b/videos) by Grant Sanderson. **License:** [CC BY-NC-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/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](LICENSE.txt) for full details.