Make dotted and dashed lines

Pick a pattern

Select shape layers or Stroke properties. Click the straight horizontal segment of the sample, the Dash control. In a short slot, use the Dash tile.

Each click cycles through Solid, Dotted, Dashed, and Long dash. Shift-click cycles backward. To choose directly, right-click a control and use the icons under Dashes. Hover an icon to read its name.

Dotted also sets round caps so zero-length dashes become dots. Switching to another pattern or Solid keeps those round caps. Choose another cap explicitly when needed.

Presets replace the stroke’s existing dash and gap pattern. Lengths are calculated from the current stroke width when applied. If you change the width later, apply the preset again to restore its proportions. A custom pattern cycles to Dotted on the first click, including Shift-click.

Make the pattern march

Alt/Option-click Dash, or right-click a control and click March. Butthead animates the native dash Offset with an expression. It travels backward by two dash-and-gap repeats per second.

If the stroke is solid or has a custom pattern, enabling March applies Dashed first. Otherwise it keeps the current preset. Alt/Option takes priority over Shift on this control.

Repeat the action to stop the marching expression. Switching between dash presets keeps March enabled. Choosing Solid removes the dash pattern and offset.

March replaces any existing Offset expression. Turning March off removes Butthead’s expression and reveals the underlying Offset value or keyframes. It does not restore an expression that was replaced. Use After Effects’ Undo to reverse the action.

If the pattern cannot be applied

No dashes on this stroke means its dash properties are unavailable. Choose a compatible shape Stroke.

Couldn’t add a dash offset means the pattern was applied but Butthead could not add the Offset needed for March. Inspect the stroke’s Dashes in After Effects, undo if needed, and retry with a standard shape Stroke.