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Can You View our Virtual Worlds?
page updated June 6, 2011
NB: Before you proceed further to view our VRML 2.0-compliant worlds, please be sure you have the following software loaded (our worlds work fully only with this combination of products due to the incomplete adherence to the VRML 2.0 spec by other viewer and browser combinations). Note also that this page has been completely updated from the older 2001 and 2007 versions. The following are only suggestions; given the number of VRML viewers now available, please check the manufacturer's own specs before you download a plugin to be sure it will work with your browser and your operating system.

For PC users:

  • Mozilla FireFoxTM (especially ver. 3 and higher, recommended; although most of our worlds will work with earlier versions).
  • Microsoft Internet ExplorerTM (ver. 6 or higher, recommended; although most of our worlds will work with previous versions 4 and above; on ver. 6 and higher you will need to allow ActiveX content and popups if prompted to do so).
  • Octaga's Player or ParallelGraphics CortonaTM VRML viewer (recommended; although you must download the newest version of Cortona to work in FireFox 4); these are all free downloadable plugins; there are more out there.
  • Microsoft WindowsXPTM (or higher recommened; although our worlds will work on Windows98TM and higher, but not as well, as there will be compatability issues between the browser, the VRML plugin, and such old operating systems).
If you do not have these items installed, you will not be able to view all the features of our worlds.   Information for Apple-Mac users is also available below.

If you do have the necessary software, you are invited to continue.  For best results, please set your screen to 32-bit color and 1024x768 screen resolution (at minimum).

News for Apple and Macintosh computer users:

Unfortunately, users of Apple or Macintosh computers will have a more difficult time viewing VRML 2.0-compliant virtual worlds.  Until the advent of OS X, and especially those with the current Intel chips, Apple Macintosh computers and the way they allocated graphics memory were not built for viewing interactive 3D content.

If you have a fairly recent OS X system, there is hope. Still, there are very few VRML viewers capable of running on Apple comupters. Recently, we have been working closely with the open-source makers of FreeWRL to help them improve their Apple-based viewer; this is the viewer that is recommended on and freely downloadable from the Apple Website (scroll down the page until you locate FreeWRL; it's position on the page changes) or directly from SourceForge.

Learning Sites makes no recommendations for nor guarantees about any of these alternatives.

If you have a computer that can emulate or run Windows software, look at the recommendations listed above for PC users.

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