diff --git a/Plugins/org.mitk.gui.qt.flowbenchapplication/src/internal/QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin.cpp b/Plugins/org.mitk.gui.qt.flowbenchapplication/src/internal/QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin.cpp
index fb972d6b71..0738814115 100644
--- a/Plugins/org.mitk.gui.qt.flowbenchapplication/src/internal/QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin.cpp
+++ b/Plugins/org.mitk.gui.qt.flowbenchapplication/src/internal/QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin.cpp
@@ -1,201 +1,211 @@
 /*===================================================================
 
 The Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK)
 
 Copyright (c) German Cancer Research Center,
 Division of Medical and Biological Informatics.
 All rights reserved.
 
 This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without
 even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR
 A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
 
 See LICENSE.txt or http://www.mitk.org for details.
 
 ===================================================================*/
 
 #include "QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin.h"
 #include "perspectives/QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPerspective.h"
 #include "QmitkFlowBenchApplication.h"
 
 #include <service/cm/ctkConfigurationAdmin.h>
 #include <service/cm/ctkConfiguration.h>
 
 #include <berryPlatform.h>
 #include <berryPlatformUI.h>
 #include <berryIPreferencesService.h>
 #include <berryIPreferences.h>
 
 #include <mitkVersion.h>
 #include <mitkLogMacros.h>
 
 #include <mitkIDataStorageService.h>
 #include <mitkSceneIO.h>
 #include <mitkProgressBar.h>
 #include <mitkRenderingManager.h>
 #include <mitkIOUtil.h>
 
 #include <QtWidgetsExtRegisterClasses.h>
 
 #include <QProcess>
 #include <QMainWindow>
 #include <QCoreApplication>
 
 
 QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin* QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::inst = nullptr;
 
 QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin()
 {
   inst = this;
 }
 
 QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::~QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin()
 {
 }
 
 QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin* QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::GetDefault()
 {
   return inst;
 }
 
 void QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::start(ctkPluginContext* context)
 {
   berry::AbstractUICTKPlugin::start(context);
 
   this->_context = context;
 
   QtWidgetsExtRegisterClasses();
 
   BERRY_REGISTER_EXTENSION_CLASS(QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPerspective, context);
   BERRY_REGISTER_EXTENSION_CLASS(QmitkFlowBenchApplication, context);
 
   ctkServiceReference cmRef = context->getServiceReference<ctkConfigurationAdmin>();
   ctkConfigurationAdmin* configAdmin = nullptr;
   if (cmRef)
   {
     configAdmin = context->getService<ctkConfigurationAdmin>(cmRef);
   }
 
   // Use the CTK Configuration Admin service to configure the BlueBerry help system
   if (configAdmin)
   {
     ctkConfigurationPtr conf = configAdmin->getConfiguration("org.blueberry.services.help", QString());
     ctkDictionary helpProps;
     helpProps.insert("homePage", "qthelp://org.mitk.gui.qt.flowbenchapplication/bundle/index.html");
     conf->update(helpProps);
     context->ungetService(cmRef);
   }
   else
   {
     MITK_WARN << "Configuration Admin service unavailable, cannot set home page url.";
   }
 
   if (qApp->metaObject()->indexOfSignal("messageReceived(QByteArray)") > -1)
   {
     connect(qApp, SIGNAL(messageReceived(QByteArray)), this, SLOT(handleIPCMessage(QByteArray)));
   }
 
   // This is a potentially long running operation.
   loadDataFromDisk(berry::Platform::GetApplicationArgs(), true);
 }
 
 void QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::stop(ctkPluginContext* context)
 {
   Q_UNUSED(context)
 
     this->_context = nullptr;
 }
 
 ctkPluginContext* QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::GetPluginContext() const
 {
   return _context;
 }
 
 void QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::loadDataFromDisk(const QStringList &arguments, bool globalReinit)
 {
   if (!arguments.empty())
   {
     ctkServiceReference serviceRef = _context->getServiceReference<mitk::IDataStorageService>();
     if (serviceRef)
     {
       mitk::IDataStorageService* dataStorageService = _context->getService<mitk::IDataStorageService>(serviceRef);
       mitk::DataStorage::Pointer dataStorage = dataStorageService->GetDefaultDataStorage()->GetDataStorage();
 
       int argumentsAdded = 0;
       for (int i = 0; i < arguments.size(); ++i)
       {
         if (arguments[i].right(5) == ".mitk")
         {
           mitk::SceneIO::Pointer sceneIO = mitk::SceneIO::New();
 
           bool clearDataStorageFirst(false);
           mitk::ProgressBar::GetInstance()->AddStepsToDo(2);
           dataStorage = sceneIO->LoadScene(arguments[i].toLocal8Bit().constData(), dataStorage, clearDataStorageFirst);
           mitk::ProgressBar::GetInstance()->Progress(2);
           argumentsAdded++;
         }
+        else if (arguments[i].right(15) == ".mitksceneindex")
+        {
+          mitk::SceneIO::Pointer sceneIO = mitk::SceneIO::New();
+
+          bool clearDataStorageFirst(false);
+          mitk::ProgressBar::GetInstance()->AddStepsToDo(2);
+          dataStorage = sceneIO->LoadSceneUnzipped(arguments[i].toLocal8Bit().constData(), dataStorage, clearDataStorageFirst);
+          mitk::ProgressBar::GetInstance()->Progress(2);
+          argumentsAdded++;
+        }
         else
         {
           try
           {
             const std::string path(arguments[i].toStdString());
             auto addedNodes = mitk::IOUtil::Load(path, *dataStorage);
 
             for (auto const node : *addedNodes)
             {
               node->SetIntProperty("layer", argumentsAdded);
             }
 
             argumentsAdded++;
           }
           catch (...)
           {
             MITK_WARN << "Failed to load command line argument: " << arguments[i].toStdString();
           }
         }
       } // end for each command line argument
 
       if (argumentsAdded > 0 && globalReinit)
       {
         // calculate bounding geometry
         mitk::RenderingManager::GetInstance()->InitializeViews(dataStorage->ComputeBoundingGeometry3D());
       }
     }
     else
     {
       MITK_ERROR << "A service reference for mitk::IDataStorageService does not exist";
     }
   }
 }
 
 void QmitkFlowBenchApplicationPlugin::handleIPCMessage(const QByteArray& msg)
 {
   QDataStream ds(msg);
   QString msgType;
   ds >> msgType;
 
   // we only handle messages containing command line arguments
   if (msgType != "$cmdLineArgs") return;
 
   // activate the current workbench window
   berry::IWorkbenchWindow::Pointer window =
     berry::PlatformUI::GetWorkbench()->GetActiveWorkbenchWindow();
 
   QMainWindow* mainWindow =
     static_cast<QMainWindow*> (window->GetShell()->GetControl());
 
   mainWindow->setWindowState(mainWindow->windowState() & ~Qt::WindowMinimized);
   mainWindow->raise();
   mainWindow->activateWindow();
 
   // Get the preferences for the instantiation behavior
   berry::IPreferencesService* prefService = berry::Platform::GetPreferencesService();
   berry::IPreferences::Pointer prefs = prefService->GetSystemPreferences()->Node("/General");
   bool newInstanceAlways = prefs->GetBool("newInstance.always", false);
   bool newInstanceScene = prefs->GetBool("newInstance.scene", true);
 
   QStringList args;
   ds >> args;
 
   loadDataFromDisk(args, false);
 }
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