VRML 97 & X3D in Linux

Here is a short info on how to utilize the advantages of VRML/X3D in Linux OS.

The sad part is that in Linux it's difficult to find a good VRML/X3D browser. But there are some open source browsers like:

• FreeWRL
• OpenVRML
• xj3d

You can give them a try but they can usually display some simple worlds but nothing more fancy :(. Besides, there are often problems when you try to compile them (latest versions) from the source. At least I didn't have enough patience to install the latest FreeWRL - two hours was enough for me... Anyway I think I have found a solution...

...the remedy for those problems is the Octaga browser.

It's main version is Windows based but they have also released a version for Linux. It's statically linked so it's quite easy to set it up. It isn't open source, but who cares. What I want is to view a VRML/X3D world - not look into the source code. The Octaga browser lacks some features too - for example doesn't support "Text" nodes, but they can be replaced with textures.

I have also tested a Windows version of their browser and it seems that it's actually as good as BS Contact. All my visualizations (in Examples section) can be viewed in them (Linux and Windows versions) without any greater problems.