These days, the only entity I'm aware of trying to help the web forward with 3D that I have seen is a company I criticize frequently for holding the web back, Apple. They have been working to add a <model> element[1]. I'm not sure exactly what the intent is, but off the bat, one interesting contrast was that VRML feels like it's own totalizing element, defines a whole environment. Whereas model feels like a thing on a page. If you have a tree, ground, and a house, those are three models on a page, potentially, I hope, which is something I never felt like the old attempts appreciated: they were the Flash/Applet model, a sub-experience.
Also happy to see Apple add BroadcastChannel and File System Access in Safari tech preview 131.
I'm still uncomfortable/alarmed having a general purpose device that's incapable of running all but a single possible web browser engine, and it's frustrating that incredibly empowering rich capabilities like Web MIDI are simply discarded (on valid security grounds, but still a vital capability I think we need to figure out how to allow). But Model or something like it is good solid declearative web innvoation (clawing back what's been javascripts). Templates were good, solid, declarative web innovation (clawing back what's been javascript's). And a lot of nuts and bolts to eventually finally seem to make it into Safari. I think I might be able to go to DEFCON 3 some day on my Safari feels.
[1] https://github.com/WebKit/explainers/tree/main/model https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28353997 (2 months ago, 232 comments)
I was using VRML to visualize slices of a six dimensional object and it was OK for that.
The other student pointed out that VRML couldn't accomplish what video games like Quake and Descent could at that time and just wasn't good enough.