How Can I Recreate this Connecting Particle Effect?

[WPhipps]

[nishu_kush]

Hi WPhipps,

Thanks for writing in.

I found a tutorial on YouTube that shows something similar to what you're looking for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EO2DtFlboeU&ab_channel=SonduckFilm 

Hope it helps.

Thanks,

Nishu

[Rick Gerard · Accepted solution]

Probably the easiest and least expensive solution: Connect Layers Pro

A much more expensive but more versatile solution: Plexus

Other options: Newton. for the motion and some expressions to tie each end of a path to another path. Newton is amazing for 2D physical simulations. 

Manual Option: Working on your expression skills to make the connections in conjunction with the Create Nulls from Paths/Path follows nulls script that comes with AE and a little parenting. You can also check http://motionscript.com to try some of Dan Ebbert's scripts.