Native VRML97 / X3D browser · since 1998v6.7.0-rc.1 · 2026-10-03

Use

Open VRML and X3D files in FreeWRL

Open a world. Look around.

Open a file from the command line, or on macOS from Finder. Then move with the mouse or keys. Every key on this page was checked in the current FreeWRL source. Parts are adapted from the upstream use.html.

FreeWRL window showing a blue 3D plaza: a hand-and-eye sculpture inside a yellow ring, towers behind it, and FreeWRL's yellow navigation button bar along the bottom edge.

U1A world open in FreeWRL

FreeWRL window showing a blue 3D plaza: a hand-and-eye sculpture inside a yellow ring, towers behind it, and FreeWRL's yellow navigation button bar along the bottom edge.

FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04freewrl-landing.wrl1280 × 800Open image file

U1A world open in FreeWRL

This is the whole program: one window with the world in it. The yellow bar along the bottom is the navigation button bar. The name of the current viewpoint, here Plaza, shows below it.

FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04freewrl-landing.wrlcaptured 2026-10-01

§01

Open a world

Linux / macOS terminalshell
freewrl world.wrl
freewrl https://example.org/world.x3d
freewrl --geometry 1280x800 world.x3dv

FreeWRL also reads gzipped files (.wrz, .x3dz) and loads worlds over HTTP and HTTPS.

Not installed yet? Download FreeWRL for macOS, or build it on Linux. What the upstream project says it supports, node by node, is under Conformance.

Four lit shapes on a grey floor in FreeWRL: a blue box, a pale yellow sphere, a cyan cone and a dark grey cylinder.

U2An X3D file: Box, Sphere, Cone, Cylinder

Four lit shapes on a grey floor in FreeWRL: a blue box, a pale yellow sphere, a cyan cone and a dark grey cylinder.

FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04four-primitives.x3d1280 × 800Open image file

U2An X3D file: Box, Sphere, Cone, Cylinder

freewrl --geometry 1280x800 four-primitives.x3d on Linux. The file opens at its first viewpoint, Front.

FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04four-primitives.x3dcaptured 2026-10-01

On macOS, open a .wrl file with FreeWRL from Finder. .x3d and .x3dv files open the same way, and you can also drop a file on FreeWRL.

If another 3D viewer on your Mac is set to open .wrl files, a double-click opens that viewer instead. Choose FreeWRL under Open With in the file's context menu, or set it for that file in Finder's Get Info window, as was done for the clip.

U3Opening a .wrl file with FreeWRL from Finder

A Finder window holds one file, freewrl-landing.wrl. The pointer moves to it and double-clicks. FreeWRL starts, its window opens, and the animated world appears a moment later.

FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple Silicon15 s, no soundrecorded 2026-10-02MP4

§02

Navigation modes

A world can limit the modes with NavigationInfo. A key for a mode the world does not allow is ignored.

U4Linux: turning a world, then changing viewpoint

The world opens in EXAMINE mode. A left drag to the left turns the whole world around its centre. Then Page Down twice moves to the next viewpoints, Under the tower and Through the portal. FreeWRL animates each move.

FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.0411 s, no soundrecorded 2026-10-01MP4

U5macOS: turning a world in EXAMINE

The same world in EXAMINE mode on a Mac. Two left drags with the mouse turn the view around the animated sculpture in the middle, and then back.

FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple Silicon15 s, no soundrecorded 2026-10-02MP4

ModeKeyWhat it does
EXAMINEeTurn the whole model around its center, like a trackball. This is the default when the scene has no NavigationInfo.
WALKwMove over the ground. Drag up or down to walk forward or back, left or right to turn.
FLYdMove freely in 3D with the mouse or keyboard. The drag style (YAWZ, XY, YAWPITCH, ROLL) is picked from the HUD fly button.
EXFLYfFly driven by an external device: FreeWRL reads position and orientation from the file /tmp/inpdev (C:/tmp/inpdev.txt on Windows). If the file is missing it falls back to EXAMINE.
SPHERICALyStand still and look around, as in a panorama. Press y again to switch the drag to zooming the field of view.
TURNTABLEtOrbit the model like a record on a turntable: no roll, so the up direction stays up.
EXPLOREgOrbit around a point you choose. Hold Ctrl and click (or press g again) to pick a new center point.
LOOKATmClick an object and the viewer moves to look at it, then returns to the previous mode. Press m again to cancel.
DISTbutton barDrag up or down to move closer to or farther from the model's center, without rotating. Set from the HUD or NavigationInfo. There is no hotkey.
PANbutton barDrag the terrain under the cursor, scroll the wheel to zoom, and drag with the middle button to turn. Set from the HUD or NavigationInfo. There is no hotkey.
NONEbutton barNo user navigation. Only the scene itself can move the viewer. Set only by NavigationInfo.
§03

Viewpoints

Places the world's author set up for you. Most worlds have a few.

Page Down or v goes to the next viewpoint, Page Up or b to the previous one.Home and End jump to the first and the last. If you get lost, go back to a viewpoint.

You can also use the button bar: the right arrow goes to the next viewpoint. In the clip, the bottom left of the window reads Next VP, and the middle shows the name of the viewpoint.

U6macOS: the Next Viewpoint button

The pointer moves to the right arrow on the button bar and clicks three times. Each click moves the view to the next viewpoint: Under the tower, Through the portal, then From above. The viewpoint name at the bottom changes with it.

FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple Silicon18 s, no soundrecorded 2026-10-02MP4

  • The plaza seen through a dark stone portal, with the viewpoint name 'Through the portal' in the status bar.

    U7Viewpoint: Through the portal

    The plaza seen through a dark stone portal, with the viewpoint name 'Through the portal' in the status bar.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04freewrl-landing.wrl1280 × 800Open image file

    U7Viewpoint: Through the portal

    Linux: second Page Down from the start.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04freewrl-landing.wrlcaptured 2026-10-01

  • The plaza from above: the sculpture on its platform, grid lines on the ground, and the viewpoint name 'From above' in the status bar.

    U8Viewpoint: From above

    The plaza from above: the sculpture on its platform, grid lines on the ground, and the viewpoint name 'From above' in the status bar.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04freewrl-landing.wrl1280 × 800Open image file

    U8Viewpoint: From above

    Linux: third Page Down. The name at the bottom left changes with each viewpoint.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04freewrl-landing.wrlcaptured 2026-10-01

§04

Mouse

Left button unless it says otherwise. The wheel only zooms in PAN mode.

  • The plaza world turned to one side after dragging with the mouse: the sculpture is seen from a new angle, with a beam in the foreground.

    U9EXAMINE: drag to turn the world

    The plaza world turned to one side after dragging with the mouse: the sculpture is seen from a new angle, with a beam in the foreground.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04freewrl-landing.wrl1280 × 800Open image file

    U9EXAMINE: drag to turn the world

    Linux: the plaza after a short left drag in EXAMINE mode. Compare it with U1: the whole world has turned.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 · Ubuntu 24.04freewrl-landing.wrlcaptured 2026-10-01

  • The plaza turned about a quarter of the way round: the yellow ring is seen edge-on as a thin upright band, with the blue ring circling it.

    U10EXAMINE: the world turned with a drag

    The plaza turned about a quarter of the way round: the yellow ring is seen edge-on as a thin upright band, with the blue ring circling it.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple Siliconfreewrl-landing.wrl1280 × 853Open image file

    U10EXAMINE: the world turned with a drag

    macOS: after a longer drag the view has gone about a quarter of the way round. The yellow ring is now edge-on.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple Siliconfreewrl-landing.wrlcaptured 2026-10-02

ModeInputResult
EXAMINEleft dragRotate the model freely, like a trackball
WALKleft drag up/downWalk forward / back. Small drags are slow, big drags are fast
WALKleft drag left/rightTurn left / right
WALKright dragSlide sideways and up/down
FLYleft dragDepends on the HUD drag style. Default YAWZ: up/down moves forward/back, left/right turns. XY slides, YAWPITCH turns and tilts, ROLL rolls
DISTleft drag up/downMove toward / away from the center point
TURNTABLEleft dragOrbit around the center: left/right spins, up/down tilts
TURNTABLEright drag up/downMove in / out
SPHERICALleft dragLook around from a fixed spot
SPHERICALright drag up/down, or Ctrl+left dragZoom the field of view in / out
EXPLORECtrl+clickPick a new center point to orbit
EXPLOREleft dragOrbit around the picked point (looks around like SPHERICAL until a point is picked)
LOOKATclickMove to look at the clicked object, then return to the previous mode
PANleft dragDrag the ground under the cursor
PANscroll wheelZoom in / out toward the cursor. The wheel does nothing in other modes
PANmiddle dragTurn around the point under the cursor
§05

Worlds that react

VRML content running in FreeWRL. These are not part of FreeWRL; they are files it opens.

Many worlds have parts you can click. These three Cybertown items by Ryan (BassMekanik) are VRML files with their own START or PLAY buttons. Click a button with the pointer and the item's animation starts. Each picture was taken in FreeWRL on macOS after its buttons were clicked.

  • Signal Storm Globe: a grey globe of rings and cyan and purple markers on a stand, above a small console with a green START lamp, on a black background.

    U11Signal Storm Globe

    Signal Storm Globe: a grey globe of rings and cyan and purple markers on a stand, above a small console with a green START lamp, on a black background.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple SiliconSignal Storm Globe (Cybertown item)960 × 800Open image file

    U11Signal Storm Globe

    After START: the rings turn and the markers light up. Cybertown item by Ryan (BassMekanik).

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple SiliconSignal Storm Globe (Cybertown item)captured 2026-10-02

  • Pulse Prism Console: three glowing glass prisms in cyan, violet and amber on a grey console with a row of lit meter bars, on a black background.

    U12Pulse Prism Console

    Pulse Prism Console: three glowing glass prisms in cyan, violet and amber on a grey console with a row of lit meter bars, on a black background.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple SiliconPulse Prism Console (Cybertown item)960 × 800Open image file

    U12Pulse Prism Console

    After START: the prisms and meter bars light up. Cybertown item by Ryan (BassMekanik).

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple SiliconPulse Prism Console (Cybertown item)captured 2026-10-02

  • Plasma Disc Player: a tall grey cabinet with its doors open, showing a glowing blue and white spiral disc, with three buttons on top, on a black background.

    U13Plasma Disc Player

    Plasma Disc Player: a tall grey cabinet with its doors open, showing a glowing blue and white spiral disc, with three buttons on top, on a black background.

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple SiliconPlasma Disc Player (Cybertown item)960 × 800Open image file

    U13Plasma Disc Player

    After PLAY and OPEN: the doors slide open and the disc spins. Cybertown item by Ryan (BassMekanik).

    FreeWRL 6.7.0 beta 2 · macOS, Apple SiliconPlasma Disc Player (Cybertown item)captured 2026-10-02

§06

Keys

The same on Linux and macOS. On macOS, Command-key shortcuts go to the menu, not to FreeWRL.

Navigation modes

e
EXAMINE mode
w
WALK mode
d
FLY mode (mouse and keyboard)
f
EXFLY mode (external device input)
y
SPHERICAL mode. Press again to toggle field-of-view zoom
t
TURNTABLE mode
g
EXPLORE mode. Press again to toggle pick-a-center
m
LOOKAT mode (toggle)

Viewpoints

v
Next viewpoint
b
Previous viewpoint
Page Down
Next viewpoint
Page Up
Previous viewpoint
Home
First viewpoint
End
Last viewpoint
/
Print the current viewpoint position and orientation to the console

Moving with keys

Arrow keys
Fly with the current arrow-key style. Default at startup is XY: left/right slides, up/down rises and sinks
Shift+Left/Right arrow
Cycle the arrow-key style: YAWZ, YAWPITCH, ROLL, XY
a / z
Move forward / back (also keypad 0 / keypad .)
j / l
Slide left / right
p / ;
Move up / down
u / o
Turn (yaw) left / right (also keypad 4 / 6)
k / 8
Tilt (pitch) up / down (also keypad 2 / 8)
7 / 9
Roll counterclockwise / clockwise (also keypad 7 / 9)

World and program

h
Toggle the headlight
c
Toggle collision detection
Esc
Toggle whether keys go to the scene's KeySensor/StringSensor or to FreeWRL
x
Save a screenshot (Linux and Windows builds. The macOS and Android frontends take their own snapshots.)
n
Clear the world (unload the current scene)
`
Toggle logging console output to a file (freewrl_tmp/logfile.log)
Space
Open a ':' command prompt in the console. Type key,value and press Enter (e.g. keychord,yawz)
H
Toggle the frame-rate histogram
.
Print profiling timers to the console
q
Quit (ignored when running as a browser plugin)

Be careful with n: it unloads the world. x saves a screenshot on Linux and Windows builds only.

§07

Command-line options

The most useful ones. freewrl --help lists all of them. Use the long forms.

OptionWhat it does
-h, --helpPrint all options
-v, --versionPrint program and library version
-c, --fullscreenStart full screen (on X11 only if built with the xf86vmode extension)
-g, --geometry WxH[+X+Y]Set window size and position, e.g. 1024x768+100+50
-b, --bigStart with an 800x600 window
--FPS NCap the frame rate at N frames per second
--want TFShow the status bar (T/F) and menu bar (T/F)
--pin TFPin the status bar (T/F) and menu bar (T/F) so they stay visible
-K, --keypress STRINGSend these keypresses once the scene is ready (e.g. 'w' to start in WALK)
-L, --logfile FILESend all console messages to FILE ('-' keeps stdout)
--anaglyph LRRed/cyan-style stereo. L and R are each one of R,G,B,C,A,M (e.g. RC, RB)
--sidebysideSide-by-side stereo in one window
-u, --shutterShutter-glasses stereo (needs quad-buffer OpenGL)
-y, --eyedist N / -r, --screendist NStereo eye separation and screen distance
-e, --eaiEnable the External Authoring Interface (no host:port argument any more)
-J, --javascript SM|DUK|NONEChoose the script engine: SpiderMonkey, Duktape, or none
--shadingStyle N0 flat, 1 Gouraud, 2 Phong, 3 wireframe
§08

Changed since the old manual

  • Slide left and right is j / l. The old page said 7 / 9, but those keys roll the view.
  • NumLock no longer toggles the headlight on Linux. Use h.
  • New modes: SPHERICAL, TURNTABLE, EXPLORE, LOOKAT and PAN.
  • EXAMINE now turns the model freely, like a trackball. Right-drag zoom moved to DIST mode.
  • The fly keys work in every mode except NONE. The arrow keys start in the XY style: they slide, not turn.
  • --server and --sig are gone. --eai takes no host:port.

Checked against the FreeWRL 6.7 source on 2026-09-30. Not yet checked in a running window on every platform. If something here is wrong, please open an issue.