Manim Composer
Structure 3Blue1Brown-style math explainer videos with proven narrative arcs before you script and animate scenes in Manim.
Overview
manim-composer is an agent skill most often used in Build (also Validate and Grow) that applies 3Blue1Brown-style narrative patterns so solo builders can plan Manim math explainers before scripting and animating scenes.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/adithya-s-k/manim_skill --skill manim-composerWhat is this skill?
- Four named narrative patterns for math explainers (mystery→resolution, build-up→payoff, two perspectives→unity, wrong→co
- Per-pattern structure steps and example topic families (Euler, Bayes, Fourier, linear algebra)
- Ready-made opening hooks aligned to each pattern for strong cold opens
- 3Blue1Brown-style pacing guidance: investigation, visual payoff, and generalization beats
- Composable story templates you can hand to an agent or paste into a Manim scene plan
- 4 narrative patterns for math explainers
- Each pattern includes structure steps, example topics, and opening hook prompts
Adoption & trust: 1.5k installs on skills.sh; 902 GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You know what math to teach but your Manim video has no story arc—just facts on screen—so viewers drop off before the insight lands.
Who is it for?
Indie educators, devrel creators, and solo builders drafting Manim explainers who want repeatable story structures instead of one-off brainstorming.
Skip if: Teams that only need Manim API syntax or rendering fixes with no narrative planning, or projects that are not visual math explainers.
When should I use this skill?
You are planning or scripting a Manim math explainer and need a narrative pattern, structure, and opening hooks before writing scenes.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave with a chosen narrative pattern, structured beats, and opening hooks ready to drive Manim scene lists and voiceover scripts.
- Selected narrative pattern with act-by-act structure
- Opening hook lines adapted to your topic
- Beat list suitable for Manim scene breakdown and voiceover
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Composing story beats and hooks is the canonical shelf in Build because it produces the narrative blueprint that Manim scenes and voiceover follow—before rendering and distribution. Docs is the right subphase: the skill outputs narrative structure, opening hooks, and pattern-guided outlines—not runtime code or launch SEO.
Where it fits
Pick mystery→investigation vs build-up→payoff before committing production time on a Bayes explainer.
Draft act beats and cold-open hooks, then hand the outline to your agent to generate Manim scene stubs.
Reuse the two-perspectives→unity pattern across a YouTube series so episodes feel consistent.
How it compares
Use for story architecture and hooks—not as a Manim rendering CLI or generic slide-deck template pack.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is manim-composer for?
Solo builders, indie educators, and technical creators who use Manim (often with an AI coding agent) to produce math explainer videos and want stronger narrative structure up front.
When should I use manim-composer?
Use it in Validate when scoping a video concept and story, in Build when turning a topic into beats and hooks before scene code, and in Grow when planning serialized explainer content for YouTube or courses.
Is manim-composer safe to install?
Treat it like any third-party agent skill: review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and inspect the skill package in your repo before granting agent file or shell access.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Manim Composer
# Narrative Patterns for Math Explainers Common structures used in effective 3Blue1Brown-style videos. ## Pattern 1: Mystery → Investigation → Resolution **Structure:** 1. Present a puzzling result or paradox 2. Investigate why it's true through visual exploration 3. Reveal the underlying principle 4. Show how the principle generalizes **Example topics:** Euler's identity, Bayes theorem, infinite series paradoxes **Opening hooks:** - "What does it even mean to raise a number to an imaginary power?" - "This equation looks wrong, but it's actually true..." - "Most people get this probability question wrong..." --- ## Pattern 2: Build Up → Payoff **Structure:** 1. Introduce simple building blocks 2. Combine them to create something complex 3. Show the beautiful/surprising result 4. Reflect on why it works **Example topics:** Fourier series, neural networks, linear algebra **Opening hooks:** - "Let's start with something simple..." - "Each piece here is easy, but together they do something remarkable..." --- ## Pattern 3: Two Perspectives → Unity **Structure:** 1. Show concept from perspective A (e.g., algebraic) 2. Show same concept from perspective B (e.g., geometric) 3. Reveal they're the same thing 4. Explore implications of this connection **Example topics:** Dot product, determinants, complex multiplication **Opening hooks:** - "There are two ways to think about this..." - "These seem like completely different ideas, but..." --- ## Pattern 4: Wrong → Less Wrong → Right **Structure:** 1. Present common misconception or naive approach 2. Show why it fails 3. Refine the approach 4. Arrive at correct understanding **Example topics:** Limits, probability distributions, definitions **Opening hooks:** - "Your first instinct here is probably wrong..." - "The obvious approach doesn't quite work..." --- ## Pattern 5: Specific → General **Structure:** 1. Solve a specific concrete example 2. Notice patterns in the solution 3. Abstract to general principle 4. Apply to new situations **Example topics:** Derivatives, group theory, algorithm analysis **Opening hooks:** - "Let's work through a specific example..." - "Once you see the pattern here, it shows up everywhere..." --- ## Pattern 6: History as Narrative **Structure:** 1. Present the problem as historically encountered 2. Follow the journey of discovery 3. Show key insights that led to breakthroughs 4. Connect to modern understanding **Example topics:** Calculus, cryptography, quantum mechanics **Opening hooks:** - "Imagine you're a mathematician in the 1600s..." - "This problem stumped the greatest minds for centuries..." --- ## Combining Patterns Most effective videos combine multiple patterns: - Mystery hook + Build Up explanation - Two Perspectives + Specific → General examples - Wrong → Right + History narrative ## Pacing Guidelines | Video Length | Intro Hook | Main Content | Recap/Implications | |--------------|------------|--------------|-------------------| | 5-10 min | 30-60s | 4-8 min | 30-60s | | 15-20 min | 1-2 min | 12-16 min | 1-2 min | | 30+ min | 2-3 min | 24-26 min | 2-4 min | ## Emotional Arc Every video should have emotional beats: 1. **Curiosity** (opening) - Why should I care? 2. **Confusion** (early) - This is harder than it looks 3. **Partial clarity** (middle) - I'm starting to see... 4. **Aha moment** (climax) - Oh! That's beautiful! 5. **Satisfaction** (end) - Now I truly understand # Scene Examples Example scene breakdowns from 3b1b-style videos. --- ## Example 1: Explaining the Dot Product ### Scene 1: The Question **Duration**: ~30 seconds **Purpose**: Hook the viewer with the mystery **Visual Elements** - Two vectors a and b drawn as arrows - The dot product formula: a · b = |a||b|cos(θ) - Question mark animation **Content** Open on two vectors. Show the formula. Pose the question: "Why does multiplying components and adding them give you someth