We present a strategy for rendering in distributed virtual environments. A geometry database is maintainedby a server, while users invoke individual clients to interact with the environment. Instead of downloading acomplete copy of the geometry data, the data is distributed on demand, thus gaining significant savings innetwork bandwidth. Our strategy combines several techniques, including levels of detail, progressiverefinement and graceful degradation to deliver the data “just in time†over the network to the renderingprocess. The method allows operate on a tight resource budget, which important if attempting to use lowcost systems for virtual reality applications.