Have you taken a look at the HotJava browser? I know there's been some
mail on this list claiming the Java stuff is in competition with VRML
but, being on the HotJava team, I view it more as a complimentary
approach since it allows you to expand the capabilities on the client
side to provide better interactivity.
I would think that having the capabilities to read and navigate a 3d
scene that VRML gives you coupled with the ability to extend the
interaction capabilities so that, for example, you could interact with
a Java applet that you happen to find in a 3d scene could lead to lots
of interesting possibilities. Another alternative is to customize how
the navigation of a 3d scene would happen by loading a Java applet
into the browser.
Anyway, I think there's room for some exciting possibilities here.
--sami
ps: If you want more info on HotJava look in http://java.sun.com/