.WRL File

File extension wrl is associated with VRML (Virtual Reality Modelling Language), a standard file format for representing 3-dimensional (3D) interactive vector graphics, designed particularly with the World Wide Web in mind.

VRML is a text file format where, e.g., vertices and edges for a 3D polygon can be specified along with the surface color, image-mapped textures, shininess, transparency, and so on. URLs can be associated with graphical components so that a web browser might fetch a web-page or a new VRML file from the Internet when the user clicks on the specific graphical component.

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 JavaScript (ECMAScript)) to a VRML file.

VRML files are commonly called "worlds" and have the .wrl extension (for example island.wrl). Although VRML worlds use a text format they may often be compressed using gzip so that they transfer over the internet more quickly. Many 3D modeling programs can save objects and scenes in VRML format.

Although VRML worlds use a text format, they may often be compressed using gzip so that they transfer over the internet more quickly (some gzip compressed files use the wrz file extension).

MIME types:
x-world/x-vrml
application/x-world
model/vrml
x-world/x-vrml

Files with wrl file extension can be primarily found as 3D content based on the VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) that is  used for representing 3-dimensional (3D) interactive vector graphics, designed particularly with the World Wide Web in mind.

How to open:

Plenty of 3D modeling programs support VRML format and can open and edit it.

How to convert:

Aside from 20 years of misconceptions, the VRML file format is one of the best 3D formats for high quality and lossless data translation. With proper 3D importers and exporters, it will allow for one of the highest quality conversions of non-CAD data, including all vertex attributes such as vertex normals, uv texture coordinates, vertex colors, etc. Hierarchy, meta data, lights, cameras and animation can also pass through the VRML2 file format.