Agent skill · creative production · nousresearch
manim-video
Manim CE animations: 3Blue1Brown math/algo videos.
Why this skill is useful
Adds specific workflows and best practices for creating educational animations using Manim CE that the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires ffmpeg, manim, python, texlive-full installed locally. About 6k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 226,679 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Manim Video Production Pipeline When to use 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. Creative Standard 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. Prerequisites Run scripts/setup.sh to verify all dependencies. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills nousresearch/manim-video