A `.VRL` file is usually a text-based VRML world definition that lays out 3D shapes, materials, and transforms, which you can verify by checking a text editor for a `#VRML V2.0 utf8` header and scene keywords like `Shape` or `Appearance`, because some tools prefer `.vrl` over `.wrl`, and if it is VRML you can view it through VRML/X3D tools or bring it into Blender for conversion while ensuring textures stay in the correct folders, whereas a non-readable binary file may be compressed or unrelated, making 7-Zip or its origin the best hint.

A VRML/VRL file lays out a 3D scene graph in text form using nodes that manage structure, visibility, and interaction, and by scanning the file you’ll notice objects placed through `Transform` nodes, grouped into hierarchies, and repeated via `DEF` and `USE` references, allowing the scene to reuse identical geometry or materials many times while maintaining efficient organization.

A VRML/VRL file shows its visual elements through `Shape` nodes that combine geometry and appearance, using primitives or mesh types like `IndexedFaceSet` defined by coordinate data and index lists, and surface style comes from `Material` values or texture references in `ImageTexture`, so losing the referenced image files leads to a flat gray look even though the model itself still loads.

VRML worlds commonly define not just geometry but also camera viewpoints, navigation behavior, background colors or images, fog effects, and lighting, and the format supports animation through timed nodes and sensors, while interpolators adjust values smoothly; all of this is tied together by `ROUTE` connections that let interactions—like touching or approaching something—drive visible changes.

When simple sensors aren’t enough, VRML/VRL may include `Script` nodes using ECMAScript-like code to handle complex interactions or dynamic values, and through `Inline` imports plus `PROTO`/`EXTERNPROTO` extensions, creators can organize scenes across multiple files and custom components instead of maintaining a single unwieldy model.