Web 3D, or VRML as it used to be called. Virtual Reality Modelling Language lets you put three dimensional, interactive worlds on web pages. The plug-in to view these is widely available. I learned about VRML during two weeks work experience at Leeds University. Here I show off some of my attempts at writing VRML, and also explain some aspects of the language I found difficult.

Introduction

Web3D is the new name for VRML. Virtual Reality Modelling Language lets you put three dimensional, interactive worlds on web pages. Verious plug-ins are available on most platforms, and are included in the gold versions of Netscape and Internet Explorer. For background information, look at:

• The VRML FAQ
• VRML 97 Specification

Concepts

I found these concepts difficult to understand at first. Note that I first wrote these in 1996 when VRML 1.0 was all the rage, so some details might be out of date.

• Co-ordinates, Vectors, Rotations and Views
• Light Sources
• Material Attributes

© 1998 - 2008 Paul Johnston, distributed under the BSD License   Updated:15 Dec 2007