After remarkably speedy consultation and voting, the ad hoc VRML Architecture Group formally released the second version of the Virtual Reality Mark-up Language at Siggraph last week. Version 2 adds a number of features that should make the virtual worlds more realistic, in particular the ability to interact with the objects and support for scripted behaviors. As decided back in April (CI No 2,892), the finished proposal is fundamentally based upon Silicon Graphics Inc’s Moving Worlds proposal. Version 2 has been adopted by the International Standards Organisation and the International Electrotechnical Commission as a committee draft (ISO/IEC CD 14772). At the same time, the Architecture Group moved to reduce its own importance with the establishment of the VRML Consortium, a not-for profit group charged with fostering the development of both the standard and the community. With the language out of the labs and into the commercial world, the Architecture Group has decided that its work is virtually done. http://www.vrml.org
