Creating your own animation is one of the best ways to truly understand a physics or engineering concept. The Open Animation Lab makes this possible – for beginners and experienced users alike.
The free, open-source tool runs directly in the browser and requires no registration. It also pairs well with AI coding assistants like Claude or ChatGPT – handy when you need help with the programming side.
Most of the web animations shown here can be opened and edited directly in the Open Animation Lab.
What Kinds of Animations Are Welcome?
Contributions on any STEM topic are welcome: electrical circuits, mechanical systems, optical phenomena, thermodynamic cycles, wave behavior and more. Animations can be simple demonstrations of a single principle or more complex interactive simulations with multiple adjustable parameters. The key criterion is educational value – the animation should help someone understand a concept more clearly.
The Workflow: From Idea to Publication
Start by opening the Open Animation Lab in your browser. Choose a template that fits your topic and modify it to visualize the concept you have in mind. Test the animation thoroughly: check that sliders work as expected, that values are physically plausible and that the animation displays correctly at different window sizes. When you are satisfied, submit your work via the submission form. After a brief review it will be published on this site with credit to you.
No Programming Experience Required
The Open Animation Lab provides ready-made templates with pre-built controls and layout structures. You can customize colors, labels, formulas and parameter ranges without writing code from scratch. If you do need help with the programming side, AI assistants such as Claude or ChatGPT can generate or adjust the code for you. Simply share the editor reference link in your prompt so the AI uses the correct classes.
If you want to host the tool on your own website – for example, your school’s site – you can download it here:
https://github.com/sebriko/OpenAnimationLab
Finished animations can be submitted via the contact form. Successful contributions will be published on this site.