Introduction

The Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is a language for describing multi-
participant interactive simulations -- virtual worlds networked via the global Internet and
hyperlinked with the World Wide Web. All aspects of virtual world display, interaction
and internetworking can be specified using VRML. It is the intention of its designers that

D
VRML become the standard language for interactive simulation within the World Wide
Web.

The first version of VRML allows for the creation of virtual worlds with limited

VE
interactive behavior. These worlds can contain objects which have hyperlinks to other
worlds, HTML documents or other valid MIME types. When the user selects an object
with a hyperlink, the appropriate MIME viewer is launched. When the user selects a link
to a VRML document from within a correctly configured WWW browser, a VRML
viewer is launched. Thus VRML viewers are the perfect companion applications to
standard WWW browsers for navigating and visualizing the Web. Future versions of
O
VRML will allow for richer behaviors, including animations, motion physics and real-
time multi-user interaction.

This document specifies the features and syntax of Version 1.0 of VRML.
R

VRML Mission Statement

PP

The history of the development of the Internet has had three distinct phases; first, the
development of the TCP/IP infrastructure which allowed documents and data to be stored
in a proximally independent way; that is, Internet provided a layer of abstraction between
data sets and the hosts which manipulated them. While this abstraction was useful, it was
also confusing; without any clear sense of "what went where", access to Internet was
restricted to the class of sysops/net surfers who could maintain internal cognitive maps of
the data space.
A

Next, Tim Berners-Lees work at CERN, where he developed the hypermedia system
known as World Wide Web, added another layer of abstraction to the existing structure.
This abstraction provided an "addressing" scheme, a unique identifier (the Universal
Resource Locator), which could tell anyone "where to go and how to get there" for any
piece of data within the Web. While useful, it lacked dimensionality; theres no there
there within the web, and the only type of navigation permissible (other than surfing) is
by direct reference. In other words, I can only tell you how to get to the VRML Forum
home page by saying, "http://www.wired.com/", which is not human-centered data. In
 fact, I need to make an effort to remember it at all. So, while the World Wide Web
provides a retrieval mechanism to complement the existing storage mechanism, it leaves
a lot to be desired, particularly for human beings.

Finally, we move to "perceptualized" Internetworks, where the data has been sensualized,
that is, rendered sensually. If something is represented sensually, it is possible to make
sense of it. VRML is an attempt (how successful, only time and effort will tell) to place

D
humans at the center of the Internet, ordering its universe to our whims. In order to do
that, the most important single element is a standard that defines the particularities of
perception. Virtual Reality Modeling Language is that standard, designed to be a
universal description language for multi-participant simulations.

VE
These three phases, storage, retrieval, and perceptualization are analogous to the human
process of consciousness, as expressed in terms of semantics and cognitive science.
Events occur and are recorded (memory); inferences are drawn from memory
(associations), and from sets of related events, maps of the universe are created (cognitive
perception). What is important to remember is that the map is not the territory, and we
should avoid becoming trapped in any single representation or world-view. Although we
O
need to design to avoid disorientation, we should always push the envelope in the kinds
of experience we can bring into manifestation!
R

This document is the living proof of the success of a process that was committed to being
open and flexible, responsive to the needs of a growing Web community. Rather than re-
invent the wheel, we have adapted an existing specification (Open Inventor) as the basis
from which our own work can grow, saving years of design work and perhaps many
PP

mistakes. Now our real work can begin; that of rendering our noospheric space.

History
VRML was conceived in the spring of 1994 at the first annual World Wide Web
Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. Tim Berners-Lee and Dave Raggett organized a
A

Birds-of-a-Feather (BOF) session to discuss Virtual Reality interfaces to the World Wide
Web. Several BOF attendees described projects already underway to build three
dimensional graphical visualization tools which interoperate with the Web. Attendees
agreed on the need for these tools to have a common language for specifying 3D scene
description and WWW hyperlinks -- an analog of HTML for virtual reality. The term
Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML) was coined, and the group resolved to begin
specification work after the conference. The word Markupwas later changed to
Modelingto reflect the graphical nature of VRML.
 Shortly after the Geneva BOF session, the www-vrml mailing list was created to discuss
the development of a specification for the first version of VRML. The response to the list
invitation was overwhelming: within a week, there were over a thousand members. After
an initial settling-in period, list moderator Mark Pesce of Labyrinth Group announced his
intention to have a draft version of the specification ready by the WWW Fall 1994
conference, a mere five months away. There was general agreement on the list that, while
this schedule was aggressive, it was achievable provided that the requirements for the

D
first version were not too ambitious and that VRML could be adapted from an existing
solution. The list quickly agreed upon a set of requirements for the first version, and
began a search for technologies which could be adapted to fit the needs of VRML.

VE
The search for existing technologies turned up a several worthwhile candidates. After
much deliberation the list came to a consensus: the Open Inventor ASCII File Format
from Silicon Graphics, Inc. The Inventor File Format supports complete descriptions of
3D scenes with polygonally rendered objects, lighting, materials, ambient properties and
realism effects. A subset of the Inventor File Format, with extensions to support
networking, forms the basis of VRML. Gavin Bell of Silicon Graphics has adapted the
Inventor File Format for VRML, with design input from the mailing list. SGI has publicly
O
stated that the file format is available for use in the open market, and have contributed a
file format parser into the public domain to bootstrap VRML viewer development.
R
PP
A
 A Graphical Representation of Inverse VRML Uptake
90
140 Programmers Artists
80
Technical Writers Musicians
120 QA Politicians
70
Other Dentists
100 60

Inverse log usage

Inverse usage

D
80 50

40
60
30

VE 40

20

0
20

10

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140
Days after download Days after download
O
Change the number in red below to adjust for download rate and/or bandwidth.

1 The number 1 represents an engineer with an "average" cube *

R
PP

EANx EANx
fsw Air
CF Min 32% 36%
80.0 149.12 0
61.4 114.43 10
49.8 92.846 20
41.9 78.102 30 180
36.2 67.402 40 120
A

31.8 59.275 50 80.0 147.0 192.0

28.4 52.9 60 57.0 92.0 123.0
25.6 47.774 70 40.0 65.0 79.0
23.4 43.543 80 30.0 49.0 59.0
21.5 40.001 90 24.0 37.0 45.0
19.9 37 100 19.0 30.0 35.0
18.5 34.409 110 16.0 25.0 29.0
17.3 32.154 120 13.0 20.0 n/a
16.2 30.178 130 10.0 17.0 n/a
15.1 28.202 140 8.0 n/a n/a