WIRL Plug-in for Netscape 2.0 -- WIRL introduces interactive 3D browsing to the web in impressive and dramatic fashion. If ever there was an app that showed sure signs of being the next 'big thing' or the next 'killer app', WIRL is that app. More than just another Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) browser, WIRL provides users with the ability to view and create fully interactive virtual reality worlds. You can throw, spin, and animate 3D objects, as well as add texture, shading, gravity response (for animation), background color, elasticity and additional effects to each object. WIRL supports standard 3D Files in the VRML 1.0 format (WRL), but perhaps more importantly, it also supports fully interactive virtual reality worlds in VREAMs own Virtual Reality format (VRW). WIRL also provides the user with an extensive toolset for creating and developing their own virtual reality worlds. You can take an existing virtual world and add animation and other cool effects to it or you can develop your own interactive world from scratch. Either way, WIRL provides all the tools you'll need for the task. WIRL also contains an amazing array of advanced features that improve the true virtual reality experience, including object dynamics and physics, full texturing and animation (including the ability to play videos within virtual worlds), sound capabilities, full object interactivity (for picking up and throwing objects), hypertext support (for launching external applications from within virtual worlds), full support for GZip compression, and much, much more. While WIRL lacks complete support for the VRML 1.0 standard, it does support nearly every important feature and will likely add the rest in the near future. Here's my recommendation -- grab WIRL and try some of its various demos such as working at a virtual desktop (take the opportunity to write fan-mail to the folks at VREAM), making a virtual man do backflips (sexist perhaps but fun nonetheless), play a virtual piano (just like Grant Hill...almost), and even watch the history of Netscape's stock (go up and up and...). While all of these and the many more demos are great, nothing compares to being able to throw your own virtual TV around...trust me, you just gotta try this one out for yourself. Pros: 3D interactive web browsing is phenomenal, tons of features and tons of fun Cons: Lacks full support for VRML 1.0 standard, virtual worlds take a while to download New: Extended VRML 1.0 support implemented, ASCII Text nodes supported Version Reviewed: Beta 1f Date of Review: 4/3/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud apps conference Main Menu