VRML adds a new dimension to Web browsing

Abstract

One of the most exciting developments on the World Wide Web is the emergence of the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). While true cyberspace is quite a few years in the future, VRML (often pronounced 'vermal') does offer some tantalizing previews of what is to come. VRML is away of compactly describing 3D objects and scenes, based on Silicon Graphics' Open Inventor file format. It lets authors embed links in and apply textures to objects. Authors can also set the levels of detail displayed to approximate real life, where objects in the distance seem less detailed than closer objects. VRML files can be smaller than fully rendered worlds because the format merely specifies what the client machine should render. In other words, your machine receives the VRML instructions, then renders the scene itself. The speed of your machine's graphics capabilities can sometimes have as much influence as the speed of your Internet connection on how long you wait to view files. The type of computer you have will also affect the quality of the graphics.