Is there a stand-alone GUI designer that can read and write the .form files that NetBeans (Matisse) generates? I like the GUI designer, but I don't want all the overhead of a complete Java IDE just to create and edit .form XML files.
You could check out JFormDesigner. I know it can import Netbeans .form files, but I'm not sure how it works vice versa. Available both as stand-alone and as plug-in to severals IDEs.