/manim-video

name: manim-video
description: Plan, script, render, and stitch Manim Community Edition videos in Python. Use when the user asks for animated math explanations, algorithm walkthroughs, equation derivations, technical concept videos, 3Blue1Brown-style explainers, or programmatic educational motion graphics.
user-invocable: true
disable-model-invocation: false
requires:
  bins:
    - python3
metadata:
  hybridclaw:
    category: publishing
    short_description: "Python-first Manim video pipeline."
    tags:
      - video
      - animation
      - manim
      - python
      - math
    install:
      - id: manim
        kind: uv
        package: manim
        bins: ["manim"]
        label: Install Manim Community Edition with uv
      - id: ffmpeg
        kind: brew
        formula: ffmpeg
        bins: ["ffmpeg"]
        label: Install ffmpeg (brew)

Manim Video

Use this skill for Python-based Manim projects that need a clean planning phase, strong visual direction, reusable scene structure, and a deterministic render pipeline.

The output contract is usually a workspace project directory containing `plan.md`, `script.py`, `concat.txt`, draft renders, and optionally a stitched `final.mp4`.

Creative Standard

This is educational cinema, not animated slides.

• Make it beautiful and professional. The draft should feel intentional, polished, and presentation-ready, not like a rough internal diagram dump.
• Before writing code, define the narrative arc: confusion -> visual hook -> mechanism -> payoff -> recap.
• Geometry before algebra. Show the shape, motion, system flow, or data change before the formal equation.
• Every scene teaches one dominant idea. If a scene has two unrelated claims, split it.
• Direct attention with opacity layering: primary elements at 1.0, contextual elements around 0.35-0.45, and structural elements like axes or grids around 0.12-0.2.
• Give reveals breathing room. Add `self.wait()` after every important animation and make the main aha moment the longest pause.
• Keep one cohesive visual language across the whole project: shared palette, shared timing constants, shared font rules, and stable concept-color meaning.
• Avoid repetitive scenes. Vary dominant color, layout, and entry animation across scenes while keeping the overall palette consistent.
• First-render quality matters. If the layout is cluttered, the typography is inconsistent, or the pacing feels rushed, the scene is not done.

Modes

| Mode | Input | Output | Primary references | |------|-------|--------|--------------------| | Concept explainer | topic or feature | intuitive multi-scene explainer | `scene-planning.md`, `visual-design.md` | | Equation derivation | symbolic expression or proof goal | stepwise animated derivation | `equations.md`, `python-patterns.md` | | Algorithm visualization | algorithm or invariant | stepwise state evolution | `graphs-and-data.md`, `python-patterns.md` | | Data story | metrics, counters, or comparisons | animated charts and deltas | `graphs-and-data.md`, `visual-design.md` | | Architecture diagram | system or service flow | progressive build with data flow | `scene-planning.md`, `python-patterns.md` | | Paper explainer | paper, abstract, or finding | hook -> method -> evidence explainer | `scene-planning.md`, `visual-design.md` | | Camera or 3D explainer | spatial or geometric topic | moving-camera or 3D scene set | `camera-and-3d.md`, `visual-design.md` |

Stack

Single Python script per project. No browser, no Node.js, no GPU requirement.

| Layer | Tool | Purpose | |-------|------|---------| | Core | Manim Community Edition | scene rendering and animation engine | | Math | LaTeX via `MathTex` / `Tex` | equation rendering | | Video I/O | ffmpeg | stitching, muxing, and format conversion | | Narration | subtitles by default, voiceover optional | accessibility and pacing | | Setup check | `check_setup.py` | host capability validation and install hints |

Pipeline

`PLAN --> CODE --> RENDER --> STITCH --> AUDIO --> REVIEW`

• `PLAN`: write `plan.md` with the narrative arc, misconception, aha moment, palette, typography, and scene beats.
• `CODE`: write `script.py` with one independently renderable `Scene` subclass per clip.
• `RENDER`: draft render all scenes at `-ql` unless a real render blocker prevents it.
• `STITCH`: update `concat.txt` and stitch a draft video when `ffmpeg` is available.
• `AUDIO`: add narration or music only when the user asks for it or the project explicitly includes it.
• `REVIEW`: verify timing, readability, clean exits, and overall visual coherence before claiming the output is done.

Creative Direction

Color Palettes

| Palette | Background | Primary | Secondary | Accent | Use case | |---------|------------|---------|-----------|--------|----------| | HybridClaw Dark | `#0B1220` | `#7DA2FF` | `#9AB6FF` | `#7EE3A5` | default for systems, tools, and architecture | | HybridClaw Light | `#F8FAFC` | `#4A6CF7` | `#3657E9` | `#15803D` | brighter docs-style explainer look | | HybridClaw Neutral | `#111827` | `#E5EDF7` | `#93A4B8` | `#7DA2FF` | minimal or formal topics |

Start with a HybridClaw palette unless the user explicitly asks for a different visual language.

Animation Speed

| Context | Typical `run_time` | Typical `self.wait()` after | |---------|--------------------|-----------------------------| | Title or intro hook | `1.2-1.8s` | `0.8-1.2s` | | Key equation or mechanism reveal | `1.8-2.2s` | `1.5-2.5s` | | Transform or morph | `1.2-1.8s` | `1.0-1.5s` | | Supporting annotation | `0.6-1.0s` | `0.3-0.6s` | | Fade-out cleanup | `0.4-0.7s` | `0.2-0.4s` | | Aha moment | `2.0-2.8s` | `2.0-3.0s` |

Typography Scale

| Role | Font size | Usage | |------|-----------|-------| | Title | `34-38` | scene titles and opening claims | | Heading | `28-32` | section headers within a scene | | Body | `20-24` | explanatory text | | Label | `18-20` | annotations, axis labels, component names | | Caption | `18` | subt