Skip to main content

​
System Requirements

Python Version

Python 3.9 or higher required

Operating Systems

Windows, macOS, Linux (all supported)

Storage

~500MB for basic installation

RAM

4GB minimum, 8GB recommended

​
Prerequisites by Platform

​
Linux

ManimVTK requires system-level dependencies on Linux for text rendering (ManimPango).
Linux headless environments: For rendering on servers without a display, you’ll need xvfb: bash sudo apt install xvfb # Debian/Ubuntu sudo dnf install xorg-x11-server-Xvfb # Fedora

​
macOS

No additional system dependencies required! Python 3.9+ is sufficient. 
# Verify Python version
python3 --version

​
Windows

No additional system dependencies required! Python 3.9+ is sufficient.
Windows users: We recommend using Windows Terminal for the best CLI experience

​
Installation Methods

Install the latest stable release from the Python Package Index: 
pip install manimvtk[vtk]
This includes:
  • Core ManimVTK functionality
  • VTK rendering and export
  • All standard dependencies

​
Method 2: From Source

For development or the latest unreleased features: 
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mathifylabs/manimVTK.git
cd manimVTK

# Install in editable mode with VTK support
pip install -e ".[vtk]"

# Or with all extras for development
pip install -e ".[vtk,dev]"
Editable mode (-e) allows you to modify the source code and see changes immediately without reinstalling

​
Verify Installation

After installation, verify that ManimVTK is working correctly: 
# Check version
manimvtk --version

# Should output something like: ManimVTK 0.19.0

​
Test Rendering

Create a test file test.py: 
from manimvtk import *

class Test(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        circle = Circle()
        self.play(Create(circle))
Render it: 
manimvtk -pql test.py Test
If a video file opens, your installation is working correctly!

​
Test VTK Export

Test VTK functionality: 
manimvtk -ql test.py Test --vtk-export
Check for VTK output: 
ls media/vtk/Test/
# Should show: Test_final.vtp

​
Troubleshooting

This means ManimPango failed to install, usually due to missing system dependencies.Solution:
  1. Install system dependencies (see Prerequisites section above)
  2. Reinstall: pip install --force-reinstall manimpango
VTK was not installed or the installation failed. Solution: bash pip install vtk # Or reinstall with VTK extras pip install --force-reinstall manimvtk[vtk]
This occurs in headless environments (servers without display). Solution:
# Install xvfb sudo apt install xvfb # Run with xvfb wrapper xvfb-run
-a manimvtk -pql example.py Scene ```
</Accordion>

{" "}

<Accordion icon="triangle-exclamation" title="Permission denied errors">
You may need to use `--user` flag or a virtual environment. **Solution:**
```bash # Option 1: Install for current user only pip install --user
manimvtk[vtk] # Option 2: Use a virtual environment (recommended) python -m
venv venv source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate pip
install manimvtk[vtk] ```
</Accordion>

<Accordion icon="triangle-exclamation" title="FFmpeg not found">
  ManimVTK uses FFmpeg for video encoding.
  
  **Solution:**
  ```bash
  # Ubuntu/Debian
  sudo apt install ffmpeg
  
  # macOS
  brew install ffmpeg
  
  # Windows
  # Download from https://ffmpeg.org/download.html
  # Add to PATH
Using virtual environments helps avoid dependency conflicts: 
# Create virtual environment
python -m venv manimvtk-env

# Activate (Linux/macOS)
source manimvtk-env/bin/activate

# Activate (Windows)
manimvtk-env\Scripts\activate

# Install ManimVTK
pip install manimvtk[vtk]

​
Updating ManimVTK

Keep your installation up to date: 
# Update to latest version
pip install --upgrade manimvtk[vtk]

# Update from source
cd manimVTK
git pull
pip install -e ".[vtk]"

​
Optional Dependencies

Additional packages you might want to install: 
# For advanced VTK visualization
pip install pyvista

# For Jupyter notebook support
pip install jupyter ipywidgets

# For 3D file export
pip install trimesh

# For advanced plotting
pip install matplotlib

​
Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Create your first animation

VTK Features

Learn about VTK capabilities

Examples

Browse example scenes

Configuration

Customize ManimVTK settings