About BAO Boa

BAO Boa is a native After Effects effect that distorts any source along a mask path. Users can control rotation, twist, start and end points, scale and Z‑position of the warped layer. The plugin supports 3D extrusion, contouring, and spline manipulation, reacting to the composition camera and lights. Its “Stretch with verts match” mode uses mask vertices similarly to Puppet Pins for per‑segment distortion, enabling selective undistortion of texture areas, such as bending an arm while leaving a hand unaffected. Mesh definition and sub‑sampling options let users balance quality and performance. BAO Boa works with After Effects versions from CS6 through AE 2026, including CC releases, and includes Apple M1 Mac support introduced in version 1.4.10. The current version is 1.6.0, released in April 2025.

Features

• Warp any source along any mask path, with rotation and twist along the path
• Full control over start, end, scale and Z position along the path
• 3D controls to rotate, scale and move splines in 3D space
• ‘Stretch with verts match’ uses mask vertices like Puppet Pins for per-segment distortion
• Undistort part of the texture, such as bending an arm while leaving the hand undistorted
• Mesh definition and sub-sampling for quality control, plus extrude and contour in 3D
• Reacts to comp camera and lights; a fully native plugin with fast rendering

Best for

Artists needing precise warping of layers along mask paths, especially when 3D spline control, camera‑responsive effects, or selective undistortion are required.