Features: Unlike general programming language, VRML does not have to be compiled and run. Rather, VRML files get parsed and then displayed. VRML is to 3D what HTML is to 2D, it allows for much richer interaction than HTML, though.
To create a web page with VRML, it needs WordProcessor and VRML browser. Type VRML instructions, save them as text file, then load into browser to view it in 3D.
- Object: called node. A node might be a cube, a sphere, a texture map, etc.. Nodes have a name, field, and children.
- Data structure: vertex and polygons.
- Switch: allows to switch on and off the effects of some properties or to switch between different properties.
- Extensibility: supports self-describing nodes that are not part of standard VRML nodes.
- Is-a relationship: treats a new node type which is a superset of an existing node as the existing node.
- Linking out: provides the same feature as HREF anchors provide in HTML.
- LOD (level of detail): allows to creat several levels of detail for each object.
- group nodes: groups together any of node and then manipulate the gruop as a whole.
- Inlining: breaks up large VRML scenes into lots of little files that can be loaded incrementally.