VRML Explorations

VRML - Virtual Reality [Markup/Modeling] Language
To many people, VRML means huge files, slow loading, and slow operation.
Here are some compact (only 10 to 14 kb) worlds which show how much can be done with files of practical size.

NOTE:
These worlds are optimized for Netscape 3.0.
Internet Explorer 3.0 will render certain aspects of these worlds strangely.
The background of both worlds should be black, IE shows it as sky blue.
IE 3.0 also omits certain structural elements.

• Architecture 101

VRML provides an economical way to "walk through" a proposed architectural design before it is built. Here is a compact (10 kb) example.
Why are there TWO spiral staircases? Why not!

• Babylon 5

"Space is big...REALLY big!" - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Here is a VRML site which attempts to convey the vastness of space.
It is based on the TV series Babylon 5, which is about people living successfully in space, with a much lower level of technology than shown in the Star Trek shows.
Babylon 5 (the first 4 were destroyed or disappeared) is described as "...5 miles long...a shining beacon in space, all alone in the night."
The large orange / yellow planet is Epsilon Eridani III, about 25 light years from Earth.
An interesting view of the station can be obtained from the far side of the planet.
This site is designed to be viewed with your browsers's light source OFF, to properly simulate the harsh lighting of space.
This site is also very interesting in Wireframe mode.