throwback thwednesday: thinking about the old VRML Saturn Valley added to starmen.net in 2001. VRML was a sort of web 3d model viewer platform that let people make explorable 3d environments, and it Blew My Freaking Mind at the time. i spent so much time "hanging out" in this 3d saturn valley
June 10, 2026 at 6:26 PM
throwback thwednesday: thinking about the old VRML Saturn Valley added to starmen.net in 2001. VRML was a sort of web 3d model viewer platform that let people make explorable 3d environments, and it Blew My Freaking Mind at the time. i spent so much time "hanging out" in this 3d saturn valley
VRML and others from that era come to mind
October 6, 2026 at 9:23 AM
VRML and others from that era come to mind
you didn't go into the VRML store and download someone's VRML World like you do with modern things.
Roblox is a centralized store, VRChat is a more or less centralized system, etc.
no, that wasn't VRML
Roblox is a centralized store, VRChat is a more or less centralized system, etc.
no, that wasn't VRML
September 30, 2026 at 7:10 PM
you didn't go into the VRML store and download someone's VRML World like you do with modern things.
Roblox is a centralized store, VRChat is a more or less centralized system, etc.
no, that wasn't VRML
Roblox is a centralized store, VRChat is a more or less centralized system, etc.
no, that wasn't VRML
im not completely disappointed with these folx, I do think they made fun things, and I love the spirit behind VRML
i think that VRML was part of a mindset that we lost a lot of and it's very sad. VRML was cool
i think that VRML was part of a mindset that we lost a lot of and it's very sad. VRML was cool
September 30, 2026 at 7:08 PM
im not completely disappointed with these folx, I do think they made fun things, and I love the spirit behind VRML
i think that VRML was part of a mindset that we lost a lot of and it's very sad. VRML was cool
i think that VRML was part of a mindset that we lost a lot of and it's very sad. VRML was cool
VRML was _just_ a markup language for 3D environments instead of 2D documents
you browsed a VRML world like you browsed an HTML page, and sometimes you'd come across links in the VRML world and you could click them and they'd take you to other parts of that world
you browsed a VRML world like you browsed an HTML page, and sometimes you'd come across links in the VRML world and you could click them and they'd take you to other parts of that world
September 30, 2026 at 7:13 PM
VRML was _just_ a markup language for 3D environments instead of 2D documents
you browsed a VRML world like you browsed an HTML page, and sometimes you'd come across links in the VRML world and you could click them and they'd take you to other parts of that world
you browsed a VRML world like you browsed an HTML page, and sometimes you'd come across links in the VRML world and you could click them and they'd take you to other parts of that world
December 20, 2024 at 5:16 PM
someone might feel compelled to say that X3D does this but I would point out that X3D is just the rebranding of VRML with XML syntax instead of the original (and better) VRML syntax, so no, no one other than VRML gets close
September 30, 2026 at 7:27 PM
someone might feel compelled to say that X3D does this but I would point out that X3D is just the rebranding of VRML with XML syntax instead of the original (and better) VRML syntax, so no, no one other than VRML gets close
VRML *was* cool, I hoped they'd make a comeback with webGL and VR.
im not completely disappointed with these folx, I do think they made fun things, and I love the spirit behind VRML
i think that VRML was part of a mindset that we lost a lot of and it's very sad. VRML was cool
i think that VRML was part of a mindset that we lost a lot of and it's very sad. VRML was cool
September 30, 2026 at 7:31 PM
VRML *was* cool, I hoped they'd make a comeback with webGL and VR.
it took up the entire tigerdirect catalog except for one page that was strictly dedicated to VRML
October 8, 2025 at 3:32 PM
it took up the entire tigerdirect catalog except for one page that was strictly dedicated to VRML
the thing about VRML is that it wasn't supposed to be used like modern shared-reality video games
VRML was a markup language/format, and the idea was for it to be a kind of hypertext, a 3D analog to HTML
VRML was a markup language/format, and the idea was for it to be a kind of hypertext, a 3D analog to HTML
September 30, 2026 at 7:09 PM
the thing about VRML is that it wasn't supposed to be used like modern shared-reality video games
VRML was a markup language/format, and the idea was for it to be a kind of hypertext, a 3D analog to HTML
VRML was a markup language/format, and the idea was for it to be a kind of hypertext, a 3D analog to HTML
I’m a survivor of the first spatial web
June 9, 2025 at 6:15 PM
I’m a survivor of the first spatial web
like I said, VRML was like HTML
you simply BROWSED to someone's web site, and you might get a splash page with a link that said like, "enter my VRML world"
and you clicked the link, and it simply opened a .wrl file, instead of a .html file, and rendered that
you simply BROWSED to someone's web site, and you might get a splash page with a link that said like, "enter my VRML world"
and you clicked the link, and it simply opened a .wrl file, instead of a .html file, and rendered that
September 30, 2026 at 7:12 PM
like I said, VRML was like HTML
you simply BROWSED to someone's web site, and you might get a splash page with a link that said like, "enter my VRML world"
and you clicked the link, and it simply opened a .wrl file, instead of a .html file, and rendered that
you simply BROWSED to someone's web site, and you might get a splash page with a link that said like, "enter my VRML world"
and you clicked the link, and it simply opened a .wrl file, instead of a .html file, and rendered that
I feel like the world needs far less resolution and far more aliasing. Pixels and ambiguity can save us all
May 26, 2025 at 11:40 PM
I feel like the world needs far less resolution and far more aliasing. Pixels and ambiguity can save us all
just like clicking a link can take you to other parts of a web page
and sometimes those links linked to other things, like web pages, or to other VRML worlds
you could browse VRML space like you browse HTML space, following links from world to world
and sometimes those links linked to other things, like web pages, or to other VRML worlds
you could browse VRML space like you browse HTML space, following links from world to world
September 30, 2026 at 7:16 PM
just like clicking a link can take you to other parts of a web page
and sometimes those links linked to other things, like web pages, or to other VRML worlds
you could browse VRML space like you browse HTML space, following links from world to world
and sometimes those links linked to other things, like web pages, or to other VRML worlds
you could browse VRML space like you browse HTML space, following links from world to world
still mad that VRML never took off
October 30, 2025 at 6:07 AM
still mad that VRML never took off
This is experimental. I love VRML-adjacent stuff
September 21, 2026 at 9:06 AM
This is experimental. I love VRML-adjacent stuff
also I don't think that VRML could have succeeded. i think that even if VRML had been more like video games in terms of quality, capability, etc. that there's a world where that is enough for VRML to have become popular
September 30, 2026 at 8:59 PM
also I don't think that VRML could have succeeded. i think that even if VRML had been more like video games in terms of quality, capability, etc. that there's a world where that is enough for VRML to have become popular
and my 1st programming language was VRML
September 1, 2025 at 7:53 PM
and my 1st programming language was VRML
Found a remnant of my initial foray into graphics research in my parents’ basement
November 26, 2024 at 9:48 PM
Found a remnant of my initial foray into graphics research in my parents’ basement
[sitting in my VRML-generated Java Applet that floats through the Metaverse, powered by Flash and Silverlight]
AI is here to stay!
AI is here to stay!
January 29, 2026 at 6:48 PM
[sitting in my VRML-generated Java Applet that floats through the Metaverse, powered by Flash and Silverlight]
AI is here to stay!
AI is here to stay!
I remember the first time around with the "VRML" craze, which was back when people thought "online shopping" would make more sense as a recreation of a mall instead of like a slightly more interactive mail order catalog.
April 5, 2026 at 8:08 AM
I remember the first time around with the "VRML" craze, which was back when people thought "online shopping" would make more sense as a recreation of a mall instead of like a slightly more interactive mail order catalog.