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Definition

VRML is a Web 3D technology.

See X3D, the successor. VRML is still in use, but I suggest that people new to Web3D should rather go for X3D.

Copy/Paste from here: http://tecfa.unige.ch/guides/vrml/vrmlman/node5.html

The Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) can been seen as a 3-D visual extension of the WWW. People can navigate through 3-D space and click on objects representing URLs (including other VRML worlds). Often, VRML is pronounced like ``Vermal, not ``V-R-M-L.

A short history

As Mark Pesce [Pesce, 1995, p. 16] points out, the WWW had two fundamental dimensions: connectivity (the http protocol) and interface (i.e. the rendering of content, especially HTML and embedded URLS). VRML inserts itself seamlessly in the Web's connectivity. VRML browsers can access other VRML files via an URL. They can access any other format that then is passed to another application (e.g. an HTML browser or a HTML window). On the other hand HTML browsers can be configured to fire up VRML helper applications (or plug-ins). HTTP servers, finally, can be configured to tell the client that a VRML (*.wrl) document is transferred.

A short word on its history: The major impulse for VRML can be traced back to a ``birds of the feature sessions on ``Virtual Reality Markup Languages at the First International Conference on the World-Wide-Web, May 25-27, 1994 at CERN in Geneva. It's conceptual origins are older, e.g. (a) Science Fiction literature (e.g. [Gibson, 1994], [Stephenson, 1992]), (b) Mark Pesce's, P. Kennard's and Toni Parisi's ``Labyrinth system ([Pesce et al., 1994]) and proposal for a 3-D navigation and representation scheme and (c) more generally 3-D computer graphics (including VR). Based upon SGI's ``Open Inventor format, a almost final draft for VRML 1.0 was presented at the second WWW conference in fall 94 in Chicago. On April 3, 1995 SGI presented WebSpace, the first publicly available VRML browser. So all in all it took about a year to set standards and make the first browser available. Since VRML is a relatively simple format building upon a well defined standard, very quickly a number of modeling tools and converters also became available.

In the late nineties VRML was almost dead. Since VRML was invented before we had cheap 3D cards, it was too slow. Gaming engines back then optimized speed (e.g. did a lot just with textures) and they built specialized rendering engines for specialized tasks, so games looked much better. In addition, companies like SGI who had the skills to build decent viewers and editors did not pursue long-term strategies, e.g. its Cosmo Division was sold to Platinum Technologies and soon thereafter the Cosmo Player was dead. Other, smaller companies were bought and killed by competition (e.g. Microsoft bought WorldView and then also sold it to Platinum. Others went broke for commercial reasons, e.g. the German company Blaxxun who did have a nice but overpriced virtual worlds server. Finally initiatives to build a virtual worlds standard (multi-user VRML) never made it.

“The final insult occurred in 1999 during the VRML 1999 conference in Germany. While the Platinum VRML employees were out of the country manning the Platinum trade show booth, Platinum laid off the entire VRML division in a Monday morning blood bath. Within another month or two, Platinum itself was sold to Computer Associates, which inherited the VRML browsers and tools and currently sits on them.” ([1]).

VRML still survived all those years in niche markets. E.g. in education it remained popular to visualize complex objects (e.g. chemical molecules) and datastructures. It also was used to train procedures. Finally VRML as data format is used to display exported data from more sophisticated static CAD formats.

VRML is back in a new form: X3D and most modern X3D clients also can display VRML code. By the way, Blaxxun also reemerged from its ashes. Daniel K. Schneider believes that an open Web3D standard does have its future. While gaming engines (e.g. Neverwinter Nights or virtual environments like Second Life are easier to build with and prettier, they do lack the flexibility that the X3D (SAI/ECMAScript/AJAX3D) has.

Links

• Web3D Consortium Home Page

Software

Clients

• For client software, see X3D. Most X3D clients also can handle VRML.

Other software

• Chisel Best (and free) optimizer for VRML code. I reduzes size and speeds up execution time, etc.

Multi-user servers

• [2]
  • The interface is in French

• VR4All. This is a free 3D world building and chat environment. It works with the BS Contact player.
  • You can build an area and choose from various components that you can parametrize.
  • The toolbox is on the lower left and it has tooltips. Then other tools may open (e.g. the construction tool).
  • The interface is in French
  • This is the first free VRML/X3D multi-user constructible world I have seen in a long time. Works smoothly on my "doorstopper" laptop (Dell XPS 1730/Nvidia GeForce 8700 M GT), according to Daniel K. Schneider.

• VR SPACE is a free cross-platform modular 3D community software. Features include chat, with live people or chatbots; ready-to-use application server, mail and news server plugins; persistence in text files or database; world editor, able to save VRML 'screenshots', and so on.

History

• The History of VRML As of Sept. 2010, last updated 2000.
• The Great Leap Downward, Mark Pesce, 1997.

References

• Ames, A. L., Nadeau, D. R., et Moreland, J. L. (1996b). The VRML Sourcebook. Wiley, New York.

• McCloskey, Bill, The Rise and Fall of VRML: Part 2, Blog entry. HTML, retrieved 12:09, 22 May 2007 (MEST)

• Pesce, M. (1995). VRML, Browsing and Building Cyberspace. New Riders, Indianapolis.

• Pesce, M. D., Kennard, P., et S., P. A. (1994). Cyberspace. In Proceedings of The First International Conference on The World-Wide Web.

• Schneider, Daniel K. and Sylvere Martin-Michiellot (1998). VRML Primer and Tutorial, Online Tutorial. TECFA, University of Geneva. HTML.

• Stephenson, N. (1992). Snow Crash. Bantam.