VRML97

VRML97 is the commonly used name for the 1997 ISO/IEC standardization of the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), the 3D scene description language designed for the World Wide Web. It is the widely adopted update to VRML 1.0 and represents VRML 2.0 in its most influential form, providing a platform-neutral, declarative language for describing interactive 3D worlds.

The VRML97 specification defines a hierarchical scene graph made of nodes, each representing objects, appearances, lights, cameras, sensors, and behavior. Scenes are built by connecting fields and events, enabling animation and interactivity through a node-based event model. A central feature is the use of ROUTEs to route events between fields, allowing dynamic changes in geometry, materials, transforms, and other properties over time or in response to user input.

Extensibility is a key aspect of VRML97. The language supports user-defined node types through PROTO constructs, enabling content creators to define reusable components and complex behaviors. This modular design helped content authors reuse libraries of geometry, materials, and interaction patterns across scenes.

VRML97 typically uses text-based encoding and the .wrl file extension, though implementations also supported other encodings and embedding within web pages via plug-ins in browse environments of the era. It aimed to standardize interoperability among viewers, content authors, and browsers, facilitating 3D content creation for education, product visualization, and simulation.

In the longer history of web 3D, VRML97 influenced later development in the Web3D movement and contributed to the evolution that led to the X3D standard, which extended the VRML approach with newer technologies and XML-based encoding.