Guide
Engineering explainer videos, made with AI.
An engineering explainer video shows a real moment that looks impossible, then explains how it works.
Explainer videos are everywhere now.
Over 200 billion
YouTube Shorts views a day on average, up from 70 billion in March 2024.
Per YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, Cannes Lions, June 2025. Source: TheWrap
35%
growth in STEM content on TikTok since its STEM feed launched, on by default in the US, UK, Ireland and Canada.
Per TikTok, November 2024. Source: TikTok Newsroom
One person
What took an animation studio, your AI now does in Montaj: diagrams, 3D, captions and sound, from your narration or a generated voice.
Why engineering explainer videos hold attention.
The curiosity gap.
It opens on a real moment that looks impossible, so the viewer wants the answer.
Motion, not words.
Animation shows how it works, so the narration only has to name it.
One idea per beat.
Each beat is one idea, so the viewer is never holding two.
Vertical, 30 to 90 seconds.
Made for the phone, with captions on.
The anatomy of an animated explainer video.
Hook.
A real moment that makes people ask how or why.
The question.
Put to the viewer in a few words, before any answer.
How it works.
Animation explains it, one idea at a time.
3D shots.
Where depth helps: an exploded view, a cutaway, an object turning in space.
Evidence.
Real footage of the same idea somewhere else.
Replay.
The real moment again, now that the answer is clear.
Close.
The subject, then your handle.
How to make an engineering explainer video, step by step.
Watch one made in 3 minutes.
Get Montaj and connect your AI.
Claude or ChatGPT.
Record your voiceover, or generate one.
Pick the Animated Explainer template.
Paste your script.
Your AI makes the animation.
Review the 3D shots, captions and edits.
Export in 4K and schedule it.
YouTube or TikTok.
3D shots come with Montaj Hub.
Make a 3D explainer video: an exploded view, a cutaway, an object turning in space. Hub starts with 7 days free.
Questions.
What is an engineering explainer video?
A short vertical video that shows a real moment that looks impossible, then explains how it works with animation. It is also called a how it works video.
How do I make an animated explainer video?
Add your footage if you have it, say what to explain, then edit anything in the editor. In Montaj that is the Animated Explainer template, and it is free.
How long should an explainer video be?
Long enough for one question and its answer: about 30 to 90 seconds, vertical, with captions.
Can an AI explainer video maker use my own voice?
In Montaj, yes. Record your own narration, or have your AI generate the voiceover with your connected voice tools.
How do I make a 3D explainer video?
3D shots join the animation where depth helps: an exploded view, a cutaway, an object turning in space. They come with Montaj Hub, which starts with 7 days free. The rest of the template is free.
Are the facts right?
Your AI explains from sources, not from the footage alone. The diagrams are schematic: they show the idea, never a made-up layout.