Time Series Export

Overview

Time series export creates a VTK file for every frame of your animation, allowing you to scrub through the animation in ParaView using its time slider.

Perfect for: Analyzing animations frame-by-frame, creating temporal visualizations, and debugging complex motion

Basic Usage

Use the --vtk-time-series flag:

manimvtk -pqh scene.py MyScene --vtk-time-series

Output structure:

media/vtk/MyScene/
├── MyScene.pvd              # ParaView Data collection file
├── MyScene_00000.vtp        # Frame 0
├── MyScene_00001.vtp        # Frame 1
├── MyScene_00002.vtp        # Frame 2
├── ...
└── MyScene_viewer.html      # HTML viewer template (optional)

Example Scene

from manimvtk import *

class AnimatedCircle(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        circle = Circle(radius=1, color=BLUE)
        self.add(circle)
        
        # Animate the circle
        self.play(circle.animate.scale(2))
        self.play(circle.animate.shift(RIGHT * 3))
        self.play(circle.animate.set_color(RED))
        self.wait()

Render with time series:

manimvtk -pql scene.py AnimatedCircle --vtk-time-series

ParaView Data (.pvd) File

The .pvd file is an XML collection file that references all frame files:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<VTKFile type="Collection" version="0.1">
  <Collection>
    <DataSet timestep="0.0" group="" part="0" file="AnimatedCircle_00000.vtp"/>
    <DataSet timestep="0.033333" group="" part="0" file="AnimatedCircle_00001.vtp"/>
    <DataSet timestep="0.066667" group="" part="0" file="AnimatedCircle_00002.vtp"/>
    ...
  </Collection>
</VTKFile>

Time step calculation:

Based on your frame rate: timestep = frame_number / frame_rate
Default frame rate: 30 fps (configurable via -r flag)

Opening in ParaView

Launch ParaView
File → Open
Select the .pvd file (not individual .vtp files)
Click “Apply” in Properties panel

You’ll now see:

Time toolbar at the top
Time slider to scrub through frames
Play button to animate

Use the time slider or VCR controls to move through your animation frame by frame

Advanced Examples

Growing Surface

from manimvtk import *
import numpy as np

class GrowingSurface(ThreeDScene):
    def construct(self):
        # Create a surface that changes over time
        def surface_func(u, v):
            return np.array([u, v, np.sin(u) * np.cos(v)])
        
        surface = Surface(
            surface_func,
            u_range=[-2, 2],
            v_range=[-2, 2],
            resolution=(30, 30)
        )
        surface.set_color_by_gradient(BLUE, RED)
        
        self.set_camera_orientation(phi=60 * DEGREES, theta=30 * DEGREES)
        
        # Animate
        self.play(Create(surface), run_time=2)
        self.play(surface.animate.scale(1.5), run_time=2)
        self.wait()

manimvtk -pqh scene.py GrowingSurface --vtk-time-series

Multiple Objects with Motion

from manimvtk import *

class MultiObjectMotion(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        # Create objects
        circle = Circle(radius=0.5, color=BLUE).shift(LEFT * 2)
        square = Square(side_length=0.8, color=RED)
        triangle = Triangle(color=GREEN).shift(RIGHT * 2)
        
        self.add(circle, square, triangle)
        
        # Synchronized motion
        self.play(
            circle.animate.shift(UP * 2),
            square.animate.rotate(PI),
            triangle.animate.scale(1.5),
            run_time=2
        )
        
        # Sequential motion
        self.play(circle.animate.shift(RIGHT * 4), run_time=1)
        self.play(square.animate.shift(DOWN * 2), run_time=1)
        self.play(triangle.animate.shift(LEFT * 4), run_time=1)
        
        self.wait()

manimvtk -pqm scene.py MultiObjectMotion --vtk-time-series

Rotating 3D Object

from manimvtk import *

class Rotating3DObject(ThreeDScene):
    def construct(self):
        # Create a torus
        torus = Surface(
            lambda u, v: np.array([
                (2 + np.cos(v)) * np.cos(u),
                (2 + np.cos(v)) * np.sin(u),
                np.sin(v)
            ]),
            u_range=[0, TAU],
            v_range=[0, TAU],
            resolution=(40, 40)
        )
        torus.set_color_by_gradient(BLUE, PURPLE, RED)
        
        self.set_camera_orientation(phi=60 * DEGREES, theta=45 * DEGREES)
        
        # Create and rotate
        self.play(Create(torus), run_time=2)
        self.play(Rotate(torus, angle=TAU, axis=UP, run_time=4))
        self.wait()

manimvtk -pqh scene.py Rotating3DObject --renderer vtk --vtk-time-series

Frame Rate Control

Control the frame rate to adjust time resolution:

# 30 fps (default) - 30 frames per second
manimvtk -pqh scene.py MyScene --vtk-time-series

# 60 fps - smoother, more files
manimvtk -pqh -r 60 scene.py MyScene --vtk-time-series

# 15 fps - fewer files, less storage
manimvtk -pqh -r 15 scene.py MyScene --vtk-time-series

Trade-offs:

Higher fps: Smoother animation, more files, more storage
Lower fps: Less storage, choppier animation

File Naming Convention

Files are named with zero-padded frame numbers:

MyScene_00000.vtp  # Frame 0
MyScene_00001.vtp  # Frame 1
...
MyScene_00099.vtp  # Frame 99
MyScene_00100.vtp  # Frame 100

Padding ensures correct alphabetical sorting.

Storage Considerations

Time series export can create many files: Calculation:

Number of files = total_frames = duration_seconds × frame_rate
File size total ≈ size_per_frame × total_frames

Example:

10 second animation at 30 fps = 300 files
If each file is 500 KB = 150 MB total

Long animations at high frame rates can generate hundreds of files and require gigabytes of storage

Optimization Tips

Reduce frame rate

Lower frame rate for testing:

# Test with low frame rate
manimvtk -pql -r 15 scene.py MyScene --vtk-time-series

# Final render at full rate
manimvtk -pqh -r 60 scene.py MyScene --vtk-time-series

Shorten animations

Use shorter run_time during development:

# Development
self.play(Create(surface), run_time=0.5)

# Production
self.play(Create(surface), run_time=2)

Reduce geometry complexity

Lower resolution for faster export:

# Development
surface = Surface(func, resolution=(15, 15))

# Production
surface = Surface(func, resolution=(50, 50))

Compress in ParaView

After loading in ParaView:

File → Save Data
Choose output location
Check “Write all timesteps”
Check “Use compression”

Viewing and Analysis in ParaView

Timeline Controls

Play/Pause: Animate through time steps
Step Forward/Back: Move one frame at a time
Time Slider: Scrub to any frame
First/Last Frame: Jump to beginning/end

Animation Settings

In ParaView:

View → Animation View
Set animation duration
Set frame rate
Export as video:
- File → Save Animation
- Choose format (AVI, MP4, etc.)

Filters on Time Series

Apply filters that respect time:

Temporal:
- Temporal Interpolator
- Temporal Shifts Scale
- Temporal Statistics

Geometric:
- Clip (changes over time)
- Threshold (updates per frame)
- Glyph (follows motion)

Extract Specific Frames

Save individual frames:

Use time slider to desired frame
File → Save Data
Uncheck “Write all timesteps”
Save single .vtp file

Combining with Other Exports

You can use both export methods:

# Export both final frame AND time series
manimvtk -pqh scene.py MyScene --vtk-export --vtk-time-series

Output:

media/vtk/MyScene/
├── MyScene_final.vtp        # Static export (final frame)
├── MyScene.pvd              # Time series collection
├── MyScene_00000.vtp        # Time series frame 0
├── MyScene_00001.vtp        # Time series frame 1
└── ...

Troubleshooting

Too many files created

Cause: Long animation or high frame rateSolution:

Reduce frame rate: -r 15 instead of -r 60
Shorten animation duration
Use --vtk-export for final frame only

ParaView time slider doesn't work

Cause: Opened individual .vtp instead of .pvdSolution:

Close all files in ParaView
File → Open → Select the .pvd file
Click Apply

Missing frames in ParaView

Cause: Frame files moved or renamedSolution:

Ensure all .vtp files are in same directory as .pvd
Check .pvd file paths are relative
Re-export if files were moved

Export is very slow

Cause: High resolution geometry or many framesSolution:

Lower surface resolution during testing
Use -ql quality for faster export
Reduce frame rate

Best Practices

Test with low quality first

manimvtk -ql -r 15 scene.py MyScene --vtk-time-series

Use descriptive scene names

class FluidFlowSimulation(Scene):  # Good
class Test123(Scene):  # Avoid

Monitor disk space
du -sh media/vtk/MyScene/
Clean up old exports
rm -rf media/vtk/old_scene/

Next Steps

ParaView Guide

Master ParaView visualization

VTK Export Basics

Learn static export

Scientific Examples

View scientific visualization examples

Animations API

Explore animation types

​Overview

​Basic Usage

​Example Scene

​ParaView Data (.pvd) File

​Opening in ParaView

​Advanced Examples

​Growing Surface

​Multiple Objects with Motion

​Rotating 3D Object

​Frame Rate Control

​File Naming Convention

​Storage Considerations

​Optimization Tips

​Viewing and Analysis in ParaView

​Timeline Controls

​Animation Settings

​Filters on Time Series

​Extract Specific Frames

​Combining with Other Exports

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

ParaView Guide

VTK Export Basics

Scientific Examples

Animations API

Overview

Basic Usage

Example Scene

ParaView Data (.pvd) File

Opening in ParaView

Advanced Examples

Growing Surface

Multiple Objects with Motion

Rotating 3D Object

Frame Rate Control

File Naming Convention

Storage Considerations

Optimization Tips

Viewing and Analysis in ParaView

Timeline Controls

Animation Settings

Filters on Time Series

Extract Specific Frames

Combining with Other Exports

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Next Steps