Deep Paint 3D looks like it is the real deal.  I've got to try that tonight.  Price is surprisingly (refreshingly!) reasonable ~$100.

EDIT:
I think that is the academic version.  Not sure what that means...

EDIT 2:
Regarding my rant above - you can set the active time segment to debug a loop.  Just in case anyone is reading this and/or cares.

So I do the init() once and then right before buffer.displayGLOnly() I call FrameBuffer.runPostProcessors()?

I never call process()?

Post the code to shut me up

I need to create a bunch of glowing objects and maybe fake a sun.  I've played with the lighting model and just can't seem to get the right effect.  I heard a rumor this might be coming up in the next release?  Any details?  Thanks!

I'll have to look into this.  My approach is starting to irritate me.  It has a few major downsides.

1.  20% footprint bloat.  A single large mesh with 100 frames of animation meshes is 20% less bytes than 6 body part meshes with with 600 frames of animation.  My approach chews up a few more MB of memory as well.

2.  The limb indexes (0-5) change everytime I export.  The xyz offsets are the same but its annoying when the arms switch spots for example.

3.  Java complexity.  I'm over the hurdle now but it is just plain complex!

My biggest issue right now is animation looping.  I've got my 3rd person character running and jumping via the gamepad but the "run" loop transition has a nasty hiccup.  I'll fix it tonight but its a hassle because the export process is extremely tedious.  I have to "snapshot" every 5th frame to avoid an enormous 3DS file.  Too bad the JPCT 3DS loader doesnt support pruning frames (ie. load every 5th animation mesh).

Actually, I think its a burden Max should handle.  Now I'm going to rant a bit.  The "frame" selection process in Max just stinks.  I want a frame pruning function!  I can't believe people sit there and manually snapshot every "n" frame by hand, or use the silly snapshot range dialog and manually select every nth frame.  Testing a loop of animation stinks too.  For example you can't sit there and play just frames 100-160 in a loop in Max.  That would be too easy!  How am I supposed to see the loop without doing a tedious export???  The "rendering" function is useless since the framerate is so low.  Maybe I missed something in the GUI?
 

OK, I knew about the lwjgl Mouse support and should have checked for USB controller.  I guess that's where my homework lies...

I got my animated 6 part character model working last night.  The class I wrote "CreatureComposite" is nicely generic so I can load multi limbed characters.

The only pain in the rear is the 3DS rotateMesh() issue.  After the main object is rotated (the Torso) every limb has to be adjusted on the XYZ plane.  So the class supports a debug "limb selection and movement" via the keyboard mode.  It tells you the delta from its world origin - so once you get the limbs in the proper location you can record the final offset.  So in the end I have an XML file that records XYZ offsets for the head, arms and legs seperately (again the Torso is the parent and only has a -Y offset to get his feet planted on the ground).

What i should do is write a quick JPCT app where the only purpose is to move limbs around into proper location and record the offsets in an XML file. 

The animation mesh indexes were as expected - indexes 0-5 is the base object, 6-12 frame 1, 13-18 frame 2 etc.  So if the left arm is "1" in the 0-5 sequence then you assign the animation keys 7, 13, 19 ... etc to the left arm object.

You know what?  I'd MUCH rather have an easier time with the UV mapping than make life in JPCT easier.  I'd argue that the industry desperately needs a 3D painting application so you can get out of this UV Mapping to 2D skin nonsense.  Its been the defacto method waaaaayyy to long.  I want a 3D painting app so I never have to unwrap again!  For now though - I'll map a limb at a time for sanity sake.



   
 

Apparently you can put texture info into a 3DS file in Max.  For example - I added a test model to JPCT and applied no textures but the model's creator apparently baked in some textures because he rendered with blue pants, skin tones, hair etc.  I was expecting the default white/grey rendering.

I never loaded a texture - so your 3DS loader must at least partially support it.

Thanks.  I appreciate the encouragement.  I read the whole Karga thread and it was amazing to watch your project transform from the raw basics to the end result - very inspiring.

I'm very curious what peoples backgrounds are here.  I'm a developer in the financial industry with about 2 years of C++, 6 of Java and 8-10 with VB.  I mostly do Java middle tier services now.  I have no gaming development experience but I've played tons of RPG's.  I think Temple of Elemental Evil was the pinnacle of turn based combat gaming and there is a great void today for that kind of gameplay. 

That's my story and why I'm here anyway...