[1] VRML is a text file format where, e.g., vertices and edges for a 3D polygon can be specified along with the surface color, UV-mapped textures, shininess, transparency, and so on.

Animations, sounds, lighting, and other aspects of the virtual world can interact with the user or may be triggered by external events such as timers.

A special Script Node allows the addition of program code (e.g., written in Java or ECMAScript) to a VRML file.

This version was specified from, and very closely resembled, the API and file format of the Open Inventor software component, originally developed by SGI.

The term VRML was coined by Dave Raggett in a paper called "Extending WWW to support Platform Independent Virtual Reality"[7] submitted to the First World Wide Web Conference[8] in 1994, and first discussed at the WWW94 VRML BOF established by Tim Berners-Lee, where Mark Pesce presented the Labyrinth demo he developed with Tony Parisi[9] and Peter Kennard.

VRML97 was used on the Internet on some personal homepages and sites such as "CyberTown", which offered 3D chat using Blaxxun Software, as well as Sony's SAPARi program, which was pre-installed on Vaio computers from 1997 to 2001.

To fill the void a variety of proprietary Web 3D formats emerged over the next few years, including Microsoft Chrome and Adobe Atmosphere, neither of which is supported today.

[19] At the time of VRML's popularity, a majority of users, both business and personal, were using slow dial-up Internet access.

[26] Many demos shows that VRML already supports lightmap, normalmap, SSAO, CSM and Realtime Environment Reflection along with other virtual effects.