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VRMLGen - Create interactive 3D VRML plots, charts and graphs in R

3D scatter plot
Scatter plot of Edgar Anderson's famous Iris data set with semi-transparent density estimation contour surfaces
VRMLGen is a free software package for the generation of 3-dimensional data representations in the Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML) and the LiveGraphics3D-format. The package runs within the R statiscal learning environment and is available for download from CRAN, the Comprehensive R Archive Network. VRMLGen can be used to visualize 3D shapes and height maps, ...
... to create labelled scatter plots with automatic assignment of different colours and symbols for different sample groups. Regions of high density can be highlighted using density estimation contour surfaces, which can be useful for the unsupervised analysis of statistical data using Principal Components Analysis and Independent Component Analysis...
United Kingdom topographic plot
VRML visualization of a rough topographic map of the United Kingdom
bar plot
3D barplot for visualization of statistical data
... Charts and bar plots can be easily visualized in 3D and viewed from different perspectives using free VRML-software like Xj3D, Cortona and BS Contact VRML. High-quality image rendering is possible by combining VRMLGen with freeware applications like vrml2pov and POV-Ray.
... By defining parametric functions the user can generate complex geometric shapes, display them as curves and surfaces and study them in detail using different navigation modes and typical features of VRML-worlds like zoom, pan and rotate controls...
Graph of a parametric function
Plot of two parametric functions: A sphere inside a spiral
stanford bunny plot
Visualization of a 3D mesh using the well-known "Stanford bunny" model (Turk and Levoy, 1994) as example
... Alternatively, instead of creating new 3D models, already available 3D object definitions in obj-format can be read and converted into VRML-format, so that designs created with a 3D modelling software can directly be viewed on the web by a large number of users.
Programming example: 

# Visualization of random 3D data points
mat <- matrix(runif(99, 0, 3), ncol=3)

# create random class assignment vector with three classes
y <- round(runif(33, 0, 2))
y <- ifelse(y == 0, "class 1", ifelse(y == 1, "class 2", "class 3"))

# create VRML ouput file
cloud3d(mat, labels = y, col.axis="black", col.lab="blue", col.bg="white")
Installation
  • Download file vrmlgen_1.4.1.zip for Windows or vrmlgen_1.4.1.tar.gz for Linux
  • Windows: In the R software menu select "Packages->Install Packages from local zip file" and choose the downloaded file
  • Linux: At the command line type "R CMD INSTALL vrmlgen_1.3.tar.gz".
  • Loading the package within R:  require('vrmlgen')
  • Obtaining further help within R:  ?vrmlgen
Documentation:
A reference manual is available from here.
How to cite (Bibtex): 
@article{glaab2010jss,
  title= {{vrmlgen}: An {R} Package for 3D Data Visualization on the Web},
  author={Glaab, E. and Garibaldi, J.M. and Krasnogor, N.},
  journal={Journal of Statistical Software},
  volume={36},
  number={8},
  pages={1--18},
  year={2010},
  url={http://www.jstatsoft.org/v36/i08/}
}
Contact:
If you have questions or comments, please don't hesitate to send your feedback by e-mail. I would also be pleased to hear from you, if you use the software for publications of any kind.