Opening Portals to Meow Wolf

Refract Studio partnered with Meow Wolf to turn the streets of Las Vegas and New Mexico into a network of AR portals. Ten experiences launched simultaneously across sidewalks, casinos, and transit zones. Including giant Lemon Frenzys, out of control Orange Mitosis, a T-Bone Drone Show, and portals directly into the house of eternal return.

Built entirely for the web, the project delivered high-fidelity volumetric and Gaussian splat environments directly to web browsers.

From street level encounters on the Las Vegas Strip with Meow Wolf performers, to portals directly into the House of Eternal Return, Meow Wolf: Overflow brought Meow Wolf into the streets of the southwest.

Try A Portal

Click the button to try an AR portal to Meow Wolf. These portals will only open on mobile devices.

Orange mitosis
LEMON FRENZY
BEASTIES GROTTO

Lemon Frenzy

Lemon Frenzies Explore the Las Vegas Strip

Orange Mitosis

Hurry! We found more.

T-Bone Drone Show

The worlds first ever meat drone show.

Our Process

  • Storyboards

    First, we storyboarded multiple possible activations, before settling on Portals directly to the artwork.

  • 3D Scanning

    Next, we took Gaussian Splat 3D scans of the exhibit at Meow Wolf Santa Fe using Scaniverse.

  • Prototype

    Then, we built a prototype in 8th wall. We were able to prove out that using 3D scans of Meow Wolfs complexity would be feasible for web AR using Niantic Spatial.

  • Concept Art

    Once we were confident the prototype was feasible, we worked with Shandiin Yazzie Woodward to concept the visuals for the portal

  • Final Activation

    Finally, we built the activation, bringing together the portal visual elements, CTA, and 3D scans for the final web AR experiences.

Help people understand what Meow Wolf is

A lot of visitors have heard of Meow Wolf but don’t really know what to expect from the House of Eternal Return in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We needed an augmented reality experience that gives people a taste of the weird, story-rich world without over-explaining it or killing the magic.

The Challenge

Make it work on the web

The experience had to run as WebAR in a phone’s browser. No apps, no social media, no downloads. It needed to be performant, stable, and accessible on as many mobile devices as possible, so anyone could step through an AR portal with just a link or QR code.

Turn Curiosity into a Visit

This wasn’t just about a cool AR moment. The portals needed a clear, built-in call to action that encouraged people to buy tickets and visit Meow Wolf in person ,channeling that first spark of curiosity directly toward the House of Eternal Return.