manim-extension

manim-extension is a Visual Studio Code (VSCode) extension designed to bring abstract math concepts to life through intuitive animations. By leveraging the powerful manim Python package, this extension allows users to visualize LaTeX code directly from the VSCode environment. It automatically generates robust Manim code, which can then be used to render high-quality mathematical animations.

Features

• LaTeX to Animation: Select LaTeX code in your VSCode environment and generate corresponding animations.
• Manim Code Generation: The extension uses Gemini to parse and understand the LaTeX statements, converting them into robust Manim code that can be rendered into animations.
• VSCode Tab Visualization: The generated animation is displayed within a dedicated tab in the VSCode environment for easy viewing and adjustments.
• Easy Integration: Seamlessly integrates into your VSCode workflow, bringing complex mathematical concepts to life with minimal effort.

Technologies Used

• VSCode API: The extension is built using the VSCode API to provide a smooth and intuitive user experience within the VSCode editor.
• JavaScript: Handles the frontend logic of the extension, including interaction with the VSCode environment.
• Python: Utilized for the backend, interfacing with the Manim library to generate animations.
• Gemini API: Parses and interprets LaTeX code, ensuring the statements are properly understood and translated into Manim-compatible code.
• Manim: The popular Python library used to generate high-quality animations of mathematical concepts.

Usage

1. Select LaTeX code within your VSCode environment.
2. Use the extension to generate the corresponding Manim code for visualization.
3. The animation will appear in a dedicated VSCode tab, where you can adjust it and view the results.

Example

After selecting LaTeX code like:

\begin{theorem}[Mean Value Theorem]
Let \( f : [a, b] \to \mathbb{R} \) be a function that is continuous on the closed interval \([a, b]\) and differentiable on the open interval \((a, b)\). Then there exists some \( c \in (a, b) \) such that:

\[
f'(c) = \frac{f(b) - f(a)}{b - a}
\]
\end{theorem}

Right click, and click the Visualize with Manim button in the menu. After a few moments, VSCode will open at tab named "Visualization with Manim" that displays the selected lines, and a video explaining the geometric and visual intuition behind the math.

Installation

Clone the repository onto your local machine

git clone https://github.com/azh05/manim-extension.git
cd manim-extension

To install the relevant packages for the VSCode Interface:

cd manim-gen
npm install

To install the relevant python packages, create a virtual environment in the root package (make sure you have pip installed)

# Return to the root package 
cd .. 

# Create a virtual environment named manim-extenison
python -m venv manim-extension

# On macOS/Linux
source manim-extension/bin/activate

# On windows
manim-extension\Scripts\activate

# Install relevant packages
pip install manim google-generativeai numpy

manim uses FFmpeg. Consult https://ffmpeg.org/download.html for installation details.

You must also have a GEMINI_API_KEY in your local environment. Once a key is obtained from https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/api-key, run

export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"

Finally, to use the extension locally, open the manim-gen directory in VSCode, and press f5. This will open a new VSCode Editor with the added functionality.