Mastering Manim: Create Stunning Math Animations with Python

Introduction

Hello everyone, I’m Xiao Xi. If you love teaching demos but struggle with technical limits, the Manim library—designed for high‑quality math‑science videos—will become your go‑to tool.

About Manim

What is Manim?

Manim is a Python library for creating mathematical animations. Developed by 3Blue1Brown, it visualizes concepts such as vector transformations and limits in an engaging, dynamic way, filling the gap left by static textbook images.

Official Resources

Website: https://www.manim.community

Documentation: https://docs.manim.community/en/stable/

Online demo: https://hub.2i2c.mybinder.org/…/First%20Steps%20with%20Manim.ipynb

Preparation

Creating a Python Project

Use the uv tool to initialise a project and create a virtual environment:

# 初始化项目
$ uv init manim-examples
# 进入项目目录
$ cd manim-examples
# 创建并激活虚拟环境
$ uv venv && source .venv/bin/activate

Install Manim:

# 安装
$ uv add manim

Create a src folder to hold your scripts (see the image below for the resulting structure).

Adding Manim Documentation to Cursor

After adding the Manim docs URL, wait until the status turns green to confirm successful parsing.

Installing the Manim Sideview Plugin

Manim Sideview provides an in‑IDE preview, eliminating the need to run commands manually.

Official Examples

Below are several basic Manim scripts that demonstrate core functionality.

Circle Animation

from manim import *
class CreateCircle(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        circle = Circle()
        circle.set_fill(PINK, opacity=0.5)
        self.play(Create(circle))

Run the script: $ manim -pql create_circle.py CreateCircle Command‑line flags:

-p  Play the scene after rendering.

-ql  Low quality (854×480 15 FPS).

-qm  Medium quality (1280×720 30 FPS).

-qh  High quality (1920×1080 60 FPS).

-qp  2K quality (2560×1440 60 FPS).

-qk  4K quality (3840×2160 60 FPS).

The output file is .mp4 by default; add --format gif to produce a GIF.

$ manim -pql create_circle.py CreateCircle --format gif

Square to Circle Transformation

from manim import *
class SquareToCircle(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        square = Square()
        square.rotate(PI/4)
        circle = Circle()
        circle.set_fill(PINK, opacity=0.5)
        self.play(Create(square))
        self.play(Transform(square, circle))
        self.play(FadeOut(circle))

Alternative .animate syntax is also shown in the source.

Vector Coordinates

from manim import *
class VectorArrow(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        dot = Dot(ORIGIN)
        arrow = Arrow(ORIGIN, [2, 2, 0], buff=0)
        number_plane = NumberPlane()
        origin_label = Text("(O,0)").next_to(dot, DOWN)
        arrow_label = Text("(2,2)").next_to(arrow.get_end(), RIGHT)
        self.add(number_plane, dot, arrow, origin_label, arrow_label)

Boolean Operations

from manim import *
class BooleanOperations(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        ellipse1 = Ellipse(width=4.0, height=5.0, fill_opacity=0.5, color=BLUE, stroke_width=10).move_to(LEFT)
        ellipse2 = ellipse1.copy().set_color(RED).move_to(RIGHT)
        bool_ops_text = MarkupText("<u>Boolean Operation</u>").next_to(ellipse1, UP*3)
        ellipse_group = Group(bool_ops_text, ellipse1, ellipse2).move_to(LEFT*3)
        self.play(FadeIn(ellipse_group))
        i = Intersection(ellipse1, ellipse2, color=GREEN, fill_opacity=0.5)
        self.play(i.animate.scale(0.25).move_to(RIGHT*5 + UP*2.5))
        intersection_text = Text("Intersection", font_size=23).next_to(i, UP)
        self.play(FadeIn(intersection_text))
        u = Union(ellipse1, ellipse2, color=ORANGE, fill_opacity=0.5)
        union_text = Text("Union", font_size=23)
        self.play(u.animate.scale(0.3).next_to(i, DOWN, buff=union_text.height*3))
        union_text.next_to(u, UP)
        self.play(FadeIn(union_text))
        e = Exclusion(ellipse1, ellipse2, color=YELLOW, fill_opacity=0.5)
        exclusion_text = Text("Exclusion", font_size=23)
        self.play(e.animate.scale(0.3).next_to(u, DOWN, buff=exclusion_text.height*3.5))
        exclusion_text.next_to(e, UP)
        self.play(FadeIn(exclusion_text))
        d = Difference(ellipse1, ellipse2, color=PINK, fill_opacity=0.5)
        difference_text = Text("Difference", font_size=23)
        self.play(d.animate.scale(0.3).next_to(u, LEFT, buff=difference_text.height*3.5))
        difference_text.next_to(d, UP)
        self.play(FadeIn(difference_text))

Using Manim in Cursor

Lever Principle Demo

Prompt Cursor with a request to generate a lever‑principle animation, then adjust layout and text size when overlapping occurs.

Mathematical Formula Derivation

Prompt Cursor to animate the expansion of (a+b)², iterate through feedback cycles, and obtain basic, enhanced, and interactive versions.

Project Repository

The full example repository is available at https://github.com/MisterZhouZhou/manim-examples .

Common Issues

No package Cairo found

Install Cairo and pkg‑config via Homebrew:

brew install cairo pkg-config

No such file or directory: latex

Manim requires a LaTeX distribution. On macOS you can install a minimal TeX Live with:

sudo tlmgr install amsmath babel-english cbfonts-fd cm-super count1to ctex doublestroke dvisvgm everyhook fontspec frcursive fundus-calligra gnu-freefont jknapltx latex-bin mathastex microtype multitoc physics preview prelim2e ragged2e relsize rsfs setspace standalone tipa wasy wasysym xcolor xetex xkeyval