hermes-sync/skills/creative/manim-video/references/updaters-and-trackers.md

Updaters and Value Trackers

The problem updaters solve

Normal animations are discrete: self.play() goes from state A to state B. But what if you need continuous relationships — a label that always hovers above a moving dot, or a line that always connects two points?

Without updaters, you'd manually reposition every dependent object before every self.play(). Five animations that move a dot means five manual repositioning calls for the label. Miss one and it freezes in the wrong spot.

Updaters let you declare a relationship ONCE. Manim calls the updater function EVERY FRAME (15-60 fps depending on quality) to enforce that relationship, no matter what else is happening.

ValueTracker: an invisible steering wheel

A ValueTracker is an invisible Mobject that holds a single float. It never appears on screen. It exists so you can ANIMATE it while other objects REACT to its value.

Think of it as a slider: drag the slider from 0 to 5, and every object wired to it responds in real time.

tracker = ValueTracker(0)        # invisible, stores 0.0
tracker.get_value()              # read: 0.0
tracker.set_value(5)             # write: jump to 5.0 instantly
tracker.animate.set_value(5)     # animate: smoothly interpolate to 5.0

The three-step pattern

Every ValueTracker usage follows this:

1. Create the tracker (the invisible slider)
2. Create visible objects that READ the tracker via updaters
3. Animate the tracker — all dependents update automatically

# Step 1: Create tracker
x_tracker = ValueTracker(1)

# Step 2: Create dependent objects
dot = always_redraw(lambda: Dot(axes.c2p(x_tracker.get_value(), 0), color=YELLOW))
v_line = always_redraw(lambda: axes.get_vertical_line(
    axes.c2p(x_tracker.get_value(), func(x_tracker.get_value())), color=BLUE
))
label = always_redraw(lambda: DecimalNumber(x_tracker.get_value(), font_size=24)
    .next_to(dot, UP))

self.add(dot, v_line, label)

# Step 3: Animate the tracker — everything follows
self.play(x_tracker.animate.set_value(5), run_time=3)

Types of updaters

Lambda updater (most common)

Runs a function every frame, passing the mobject itself:

# Label always stays above the dot
label.add_updater(lambda m: m.next_to(dot, UP, buff=0.2))

# Line always connects two points
line.add_updater(lambda m: m.put_start_and_end_on(
    point_a.get_center(), point_b.get_center()
))

Time-based updater (with dt)

The second argument dt is the time since the last frame (~0.017s at 60fps):

# Continuous rotation
square.add_updater(lambda m, dt: m.rotate(0.5 * dt))

# Continuous rightward drift
dot.add_updater(lambda m, dt: m.shift(RIGHT * 0.3 * dt))

# Oscillation
dot.add_updater(lambda m, dt: m.move_to(
    axes.c2p(m.get_center()[0], np.sin(self.time))
))

Use dt updaters for physics simulations, continuous motion, and time-dependent effects.

always_redraw: full rebuild every frame

Creates a new mobject from scratch each frame. More expensive than add_updater but handles cases where the mobject's structure changes (not just position/color):

# Brace that follows a resizing square
brace = always_redraw(Brace, square, UP)

# Area under curve that updates as function changes
area = always_redraw(lambda: axes.get_area(
    graph, x_range=[0, x_tracker.get_value()], color=BLUE, opacity=0.3
))

# Label that reconstructs its text
counter = always_redraw(lambda: Text(
    f"n = {int(x_tracker.get_value())}", font_size=24, font="Menlo"
).to_corner(UR))

When to use which:

• add_updater — position, color, opacity changes (cheap, preferred)
• always_redraw — when the shape/structure itself changes (expensive, use sparingly)

DecimalNumber: showing live values

# Counter that tracks a ValueTracker
tracker = ValueTracker(0)
number = DecimalNumber(0, font_size=48, num_decimal_places=1, color=PRIMARY)
number.add_updater(lambda m: m.set_value(tracker.get_value()))
number.add_updater(lambda m: m.next_to(dot, RIGHT, buff=0.3))

self.add(number)
self.play(tracker.animate.set_value(100), run_time=3)

Variable: the labeled version

var = Variable(0, Text("x", font_size=24, font="Menlo"), num_decimal_places=2)
self.add(var)
self.play(var.tracker.animate.set_value(PI), run_time=2)
# Displays: x = 3.14

Removing updaters

# Remove all updaters
mobject.clear_updaters()

# Suspend temporarily (during an animation that would fight the updater)
mobject.suspend_updating()
self.play(mobject.animate.shift(RIGHT))
mobject.resume_updating()

# Remove specific updater (if you stored a reference)
def my_updater(m):
    m.next_to(dot, UP)
label.add_updater(my_updater)
# ... later ...
label.remove_updater(my_updater)

Animation-based updaters

UpdateFromFunc / UpdateFromAlphaFunc

These are ANIMATIONS (passed to self.play), not persistent updaters:

# Call a function on each frame of the animation
self.play(UpdateFromFunc(mobject, lambda m: m.next_to(moving_target, UP)), run_time=3)

# With alpha (0 to 1) — useful for custom interpolation
self.play(UpdateFromAlphaFunc(circle, lambda m, a: m.set_fill(opacity=a)), run_time=2)

turn_animation_into_updater

Convert a one-shot animation into a continuous updater:

from manim import turn_animation_into_updater

# This would normally play once — now it loops forever
turn_animation_into_updater(Rotating(gear, rate=PI/4))
self.add(gear)
self.wait(5)  # gear rotates for 5 seconds

Practical patterns

Pattern 1: Dot tracing a function

tracker = ValueTracker(0)
graph = axes.plot(np.sin, x_range=[0, 2*PI], color=PRIMARY)
dot = always_redraw(lambda: Dot(
    axes.c2p(tracker.get_value(), np.sin(tracker.get_value())),
    color=YELLOW
))
tangent = always_redraw(lambda: axes.get_secant_slope_group(
    x=tracker.get_value(), graph=graph, dx=0.01,
    secant_line_color=HIGHLIGHT, secant_line_length=3
))

self.add(graph, dot, tangent)
self.play(tracker.animate.set_value(2*PI), run_time=6, rate_func=linear)

Pattern 2: Live area under curve

tracker = ValueTracker(0.5)
area = always_redraw(lambda: axes.get_area(
    graph, x_range=[0, tracker.get_value()],
    color=PRIMARY, opacity=0.3
))
area_label = always_redraw(lambda: DecimalNumber(
    # Numerical integration
    sum(func(x) * 0.01 for x in np.arange(0, tracker.get_value(), 0.01)),
    font_size=24
).next_to(axes, RIGHT))

self.add(area, area_label)
self.play(tracker.animate.set_value(4), run_time=5)

Pattern 3: Connected diagram

# Nodes that can be moved, with edges that auto-follow
node_a = Dot(LEFT * 2, color=PRIMARY)
node_b = Dot(RIGHT * 2, color=SECONDARY)
edge = Line().add_updater(lambda m: m.put_start_and_end_on(
    node_a.get_center(), node_b.get_center()
))
label = Text("edge", font_size=18, font="Menlo").add_updater(
    lambda m: m.move_to(edge.get_center() + UP * 0.3)
)

self.add(node_a, node_b, edge, label)
self.play(node_a.animate.shift(UP * 2), run_time=2)
self.play(node_b.animate.shift(DOWN + RIGHT), run_time=2)
# Edge and label follow automatically

Pattern 4: Parameter exploration

# Explore how a parameter changes a curve
a_tracker = ValueTracker(1)
curve = always_redraw(lambda: axes.plot(
    lambda x: a_tracker.get_value() * np.sin(x),
    x_range=[0, 2*PI], color=PRIMARY
))
param_label = always_redraw(lambda: Text(
    f"a = {a_tracker.get_value():.1f}", font_size=24, font="Menlo"
).to_corner(UR))

self.add(curve, param_label)
self.play(a_tracker.animate.set_value(3), run_time=3)
self.play(a_tracker.animate.set_value(0.5), run_time=2)
self.play(a_tracker.animate.set_value(1), run_time=1)

Common mistakes

1. Updater fights animation: If a mobject has an updater that sets its position, and you try to animate it elsewhere, the updater wins every frame. Suspend updating first.

2. always_redraw for simple moves: If you only need to reposition, use add_updater. always_redraw reconstructs the entire mobject every frame — expensive and unnecessary for position tracking.

3. Forgetting to add to scene: Updaters only run on mobjects that are in the scene. always_redraw creates the mobject but you still need self.add().

4. Updater creates new mobjects without cleanup: If your updater creates Text objects every frame, they accumulate. Use always_redraw (which handles cleanup) or update properties in-place.