manimce-best-practices Checked
Installation
Copy the prompt below and send it to your AI assistant (e.g. Claude Code) — it will follow the instructions and install automatically.
Install the "manimce-best-practices" skill by following the instructions at https://skill123.me/install/calesthio-manimce-best-practices.
Run in your terminal — downloads and installs to ~/.claude/skills/.
curl -fsSL https://skill123.me/install/calesthio-manimce-best-practices.sh | bash
Download the zip and extract it into your skills directory (e.g. ~/.claude/skills/), then restart your session.
⬇ Download v1.0.0 · 69 KBNot live-tested yet — this skill is rated on static analysis only.
About this skill
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).
Documentation
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).
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:
View full documentation
- 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
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
# 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:
%%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
# Install Manim Community
pip install manim
# Check installation
manim checkhealth
### Useful Commands
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
Score breakdown
Assessment methodology
Version history
Imported from calesthio/OpenMontage@main