Create animations in Matplotlib using the FuncAnimation class.

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by Dejaswarooba dot icon Updated: Jul 7, 2023

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Matplotlib is a popular Python 2D plotting library. It provides a powerful framework for creating animations using its `FuncAnimation` class. This functionality allows you to generate animated and interactive charts. It makes your visualizations more dynamic and engaging.  

General steps to use FuncAnimation class: 

  • To begin, ensure you have Matplotlib installed with any necessary libraries. If you're using a virtual environment, create a new Python virtual environment. Then, we can install the required packages.  
  • Import the necessary libraries. Import `matplotlib.pyplot` as `plt` and `matplotlib.animation` as `animation`. Import other libraries for data manipulation specific to your project.  
  • Next, create the base graph or plot objects on which the animation will be built. For example, you can create a line plot, scatter plot, bar chart, or any other type of plot that suits your data. Set up the initial plot with empty data or any initial state you want for the animation.  
  • To define the animation, create a function animate. It will be invoked for each frame of the animation. The function should take a frame number argument, `frame,` which can update the plot for the next frame. Upgrade the plot objects based on the frame number inside the' animate' function. It creates the animation effect.  
  • To animate the plot, create an instance of the `FuncAnimation` class. Provide the figure object, the `animate` function, and any extra parameters required. This will create the actual animation object.  
  • Finally, display or save the resulting animation. If you want to display it, use the `plt.show()` function. If you prefer to save it as a file, use the `animation.save()` method with the appropriate writer.  


Throughout the process, you have control over various aspects of the animation. You can customize the appearance of the animation to create sophisticated visualizations.  

 

When working with large data, creating animations showcases time-series or time-dependent data. By adding motion to your plots, you can capture dynamic patterns. It changes that static charts may not convey.  

 

The coding process for creating animations with Matplotlib is straightforward. It can be done in your preferred Python development environment. Jupyter Notebooks or integrated development environments can streamline the coding and testing process.  

 

With its interactive and dynamic nature, animation functionality opens possibilities for various applications. It can be used for anything from physics simulations and art animations. It helps data visualizations that need an animated element.  

 

Remember to consider the rendering backends and requirements specific to your project. For instance, if you create animated files, you have the necessary libraries installed. Adjust the code to match your desired output format and specifications.  

How to Create animations in Matplotlib using the FuncAnimation class? 

For making animated visualizations, Matplotlib's FuncAnimation class is a helpful resource. First, construct a figure and axis object. It helps plot your initial data before you can use FuncAnimation. The data in your plot is then updated by a function you write. This FuncAnimation function calls at predetermined intervals. It updates the data and provides a string of Artist objects representing the revised plot. You can refresh the information in your plot at predetermined intervals. It will provide the impression of motion or change over time.  

 

The 'im' object in Matplotlib is an instance of the 'imshow' class used to display a 2D array as an image. The data shown in the image is updated for each animation frame using the set array method of the 'im' object.  

 

We instruct FuncAnimation to update each frame rather than redrawing the full figure by returning from the animate function. Especially for large visualizations, this can lead to greater performance and smoother animations.  

 

The FuncAnimation object contains the data required to produce and control the animation. It is returned by the create video function's return anim statement.