Setting the CLASS_PATH on the command line will not affect anything - NetBeans uses its own classloader system to find classes from modules.

So what you need is for your libraries to be a module - see the section on wrapper modules.

Source: NetBeans FAQ

 Related Tips

• I have written a module. Can I sell it?
• 2D texture font - NeHe Tutorial JOGL Port
• 3D Human Animation Applet
• 3D lens flare with occlusion testing - NeHe Tutorial JOGL Port
• 3D shapes - NeHe Tutorial JOGL Port
• A model with a light which is moved by a modeling transformation
• A Morph object to animate a shape between two key shapes
• A red sphere using the Sphere utility class