The 1994 virtual-reality markup language used to describe 3D scenes on the web was VRML.
VRML, pronounced “ver-mull,” originally stood for Virtual Reality Modeling Language. The specification described interactive three-dimensional scenes that could be viewed through compatible software, including early web browsers and plug-ins. The first version was introduced in 1994, during the early development of web-based 3D.
VRML files could define objects, materials, lights, viewpoints, animation, and links between scenes. This made the language more ambitious than ordinary two-dimensional web markup, although practical viewing required special software and hardware was often limited.
VRML is sometimes confused with WebVR and WebXR. WebVR and WebXR are browser APIs for accessing immersive devices, whereas VRML is a scene-description language. X3D later succeeded VRML as a related standard with a broader and more modern architecture for representing interactive 3D content.