video/.agents/skills/manimce-best-practices/rules/latex.md

name, description, metadata

name	description	metadata
latex	MathTex, Tex, LaTeX rendering and equation styling in Manim	tags latex, mathtex, tex, equation, formula, math

LaTeX in Manim

Manim uses LaTeX to render mathematical expressions and formatted text.

MathTex vs Tex

• MathTex: Automatically wraps content in math mode (align* environment)
• Tex: Raw LaTeX - you control the mode

from manim import *

class LaTeXComparison(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        # MathTex - auto math mode
        math = MathTex(r"E = mc^2")

        # Tex - need explicit math delimiters
        tex = Tex(r"$E = mc^2$")

        # Both render the same
        VGroup(math, tex).arrange(DOWN)
        self.add(math, tex)

Basic MathTex

class MathTexExample(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        # Simple equation
        eq1 = MathTex(r"x^2 + y^2 = z^2")

        # Fractions
        eq2 = MathTex(r"\frac{a}{b}")

        # Square roots
        eq3 = MathTex(r"\sqrt{2}")

        # Greek letters
        eq4 = MathTex(r"\alpha + \beta = \gamma")

        # Integrals
        eq5 = MathTex(r"\int_0^\infty e^{-x} dx")

        # Summations
        eq6 = MathTex(r"\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{n^2}")

        equations = VGroup(eq1, eq2, eq3, eq4, eq5, eq6).arrange_in_grid(2, 3)
        self.add(equations)

Coloring Parts of Equations

Using set_color_by_tex

class ColoredEquation(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        eq = MathTex(r"e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0")
        eq.set_color_by_tex("e", RED)
        eq.set_color_by_tex(r"\pi", BLUE)
        eq.set_color_by_tex("i", GREEN)
        self.add(eq)

Using substrings_to_isolate

For precise coloring, isolate substrings first:

class IsolatedColoring(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        eq = MathTex(
            r"e^x = x^0 + x^1 + \frac{1}{2}x^2 + \cdots",
            substrings_to_isolate=["x"]
        )
        eq.set_color_by_tex("x", YELLOW)
        self.add(eq)

Using index_labels for debugging

class DebugLabels(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        eq = MathTex(r"\frac{a}{b}")
        # Add index labels to see which index is which part
        self.add(index_labels(eq[0]))
        self.add(eq)

Direct indexing

eq = MathTex(r"a + b = c")
eq[0][0].set_color(RED)   # 'a'
eq[0][2].set_color(BLUE)  # 'b'
eq[0][4].set_color(GREEN) # 'c'

Multi-part Equations

Split equations into parts for individual control:

class MultiPartEquation(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        eq = MathTex("a", "^2", "+", "b", "^2", "=", "c", "^2")

        eq[0].set_color(RED)    # a
        eq[3].set_color(BLUE)   # b
        eq[6].set_color(GREEN)  # c

        self.play(Write(eq))

Text with Math (Tex)

class MixedContent(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        # Mix text and math
        tex = Tex(r"The area is $A = \pi r^2$")
        self.play(Write(tex))

Custom LaTeX Packages

class CustomPackage(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        template = TexTemplate()
        template.add_to_preamble(r"\usepackage{mathrsfs}")

        eq = Tex(
            r"$\mathscr{L}$",
            tex_template=template
        )
        self.add(eq)

Equation Alignment

class AlignedEquations(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        eqs = MathTex(
            r"a &= b + c \\",
            r"d &= e + f + g \\",
            r"h &= i"
        )
        self.add(eqs)

Common LaTeX Symbols

# Greek letters
MathTex(r"\alpha \beta \gamma \delta \epsilon")
MathTex(r"\Gamma \Delta \Theta \Lambda \Pi")

# Operators
MathTex(r"\times \div \pm \mp \cdot")

# Relations
MathTex(r"\leq \geq \neq \approx \equiv")

# Arrows
MathTex(r"\rightarrow \leftarrow \Rightarrow \Leftrightarrow")

# Sets
MathTex(r"\in \notin \subset \supset \cup \cap")

# Calculus
MathTex(r"\int \iint \oint \partial \nabla")

Font Size

# Using font_size parameter
eq = MathTex(r"E = mc^2", font_size=72)

# Using scale
eq = MathTex(r"E = mc^2").scale(2)

Best Practices

1. Use raw strings - Always use r"..." for LaTeX
2. Use MathTex for pure math - Simpler than adding $...$
3. Use Tex for mixed content - When combining text and math
4. Split for animation control - Separate parts you'll animate differently
5. Use substrings_to_isolate - For reliable coloring of repeated elements