Manim Cue
Manim Cue shows the frames, the timeline and the video of a Manim scene in VS Code while
you edit the scene.
- See the frame at the selected time soon after you save.
- Read the plays, waits, sections, captions and sounds of the scene on a timeline.
- Play the video, and loop a part of it.
- Go from a timeline entry to its line in the Python source.
- Compare two frames with a wipe or an overlay.
- Measure coordinates and distances in scene units.
- Save a frame, the video or the timeline, or render a new video.
Get started
You need desktop VS Code 1.96 or newer, the Microsoft Python extension and Python 3.11
or newer.
[!IMPORTANT]
Manim Cue needs a preview version of Manim, from the refactor/audio-mixer branch.
The command Manim Cue: Set Up Python Environment installs it into a new .venv
in your project folder. With uv on VS Code's PATH, the setup uses uv and
Python 3.13. Otherwise it uses the Python interpreter that you selected in VS Code.
To install the branch into an existing uv project:
uv add "manim @ https://github.com/ManimCommunity/manim/archive/refs/heads/refactor/audio-mixer.zip"
To install it with pip into an active virtual environment:
pip install --upgrade --no-cache-dir "manim @ https://github.com/ManimCommunity/manim/archive/refs/heads/refactor/audio-mixer.zip"
Manim can also need system packages
for Cairo, text and video. Cue checks the features of the installed Manim:
Manim Cue: Check Python Environment shows the result.
- Find Manim Cue in the Extensions view and choose Install Pre-Release Version.
To install a downloaded VSIX file, use Extensions → … → Install from VSIX….
- Open the folder of your scene and trust the workspace.
- Run Manim Cue: Set Up Python Environment. Or install Manim yourself and select
that environment with Python: Select Interpreter.
- Run Manim Cue: Check Python Environment. The result must be Ready.
- Open a saved Python file with a
Scene class.
- Click ▶ Open Manim Cue above the class, or run Manim Cue: Open Scene.
To try Cue first, open the example scene examples/cue_demo.py.
Everyday use
Save the scene file. Cue updates the frame at the selected time first, then the
timeline, then the video. Until the update is ready, the old frame stays visible with
the label OUTDATED.
Drag the scrubber or click the timeline to choose a time. In the preview, Space
plays or pauses, and Left and Right step one frame. Select plays and waits on
the timeline and turn on Loop selection to repeat that part.
The buttons above the preview:
- Export… saves the frame, the video or the timeline, or renders a new video.
- Compare keeps a frame as the reference and compares later frames with it.
- Measure shows scene coordinates and measures distances.
- Settings (the cog) opens the preview width, the frame rate and Render Video
Automatically.
Playback in the preview is silent; exported videos have sound, and the timeline shows
the sounds. Measurement uses the coordinates of a centred 2D camera.
Your scene runs as normal Python code with your account's access to files, the network
and other programs. Open scenes and plugins that you trust.
Learn more
Third-party notices · License
