I wonder if this fur thing I saw a little while ago is now part of the engine?
http://hub.jmonkeyengine.org/forum/topic/shader-based-grass-or-fur/?topic_page=4&num=15#post-129300
I have some creatures for which I will use fur maps and reduced low poly shells in a later project stage.
Maybe I can save some pain and this is already actively used in a test case of jME.