Formulas¶

Formulas are Manim MathTex objects: LaTeX, typeset by the TeX installation on your Mac, so they look exactly as they do in a paper.

Insert a formula¶

Choose Insert ▸ Formula… (⇧⌘E), or click Formula in the toolbar.
Type the formula in LaTeX math notation, without dollar signs. For example:
```
\int_0^\infty e^{-x^2}\,dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}
```
The preview under the editor is compiled by your real TeX as you type, so errors show before you apply.
Click Apply (⌘↩).

The formula is added to the build on screen. Drag it into place and resize it like any object.

Edit a formula¶

Double-click the formula, or select it and click Edit LaTeX… in the inspector. The same editor opens with the formula's LaTeX. Edit it and click Apply.

If the formula comes from a constant used on several slides, such as FORMULA = r"e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0" in a shared file, the editor shows Change everywhere (FORMULA in config.py, used 2×). Leave it ticked to change the definition, or untick it to change this slide only.

Formulas that code refers to by their parts

Code can pick parts of a formula by their LaTeX, for example with get_part_by_tex, to colour or animate them. Changing the formula can break that code. If it does, the slide shows an error; fix the LaTeX or the code that selects the part.

Colour and size¶

Select a formula to set its colour in the inspector, or resize it by dragging a corner. Bold and italic apply to plain text only; in a formula, use LaTeX commands such as \mathbf{}.

Superscripts and subscripts¶

Use LaTeX: x^{2} and a_{n}. The Format menu's Superscript and Subscript commands are for plain text.

Missing LaTeX packages¶

A formula that uses a package your TeX installation lacks fails to render, and the error names the missing file. Install the package with tlmgr install <package> in the terminal (with sudo for a system-wide TeX such as MacTeX), then edit the formula again. See Troubleshooting.

Formulas are compiled once and cached, so an unchanged formula costs nothing on later renders. A new formula takes about half a second the first time.