When double-clicking on an NX part file, how can you have the system start NX in View-Only mode (NX Viewer) by default?
Solution
Both NX, the Application and the NX Viewer, are the same executable initialized with different startup options, so you cannot simply change the "Open with" characteristic of NX part files.
To change the behavior of NX to start up in View Only mode (NX Viewer) NX versions 10.0 and higher, you will need to make some Windows Registry changes.
Important: This article contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs.
Please refer to other Solution Center articles about how to Backup and Restore your Windows Registry.
In order to have NX start in Read Only mode (NX Viewer), you will need to start the Windows Registry Editor; REGEDIT.
To start Regedit, Click Start, type regedit.exe in the search box, and then press Enter. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Once in Regedit, navigate to the following Registry key (Default),
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\UGpartfile\shell\open\command
For NX11, this key needs to be changed from;
"C:\Program Files\Siemens\NX 11.0\NXBIN\ugs_router.exe" -ug -use_file_dir "%1"
to the following;
"C:\Program Files\Siemens\NX 11.0\NXBIN\ugraf.exe" -view -use_file_dir "%1"
You should now be able to double-click on an NX Part file, and it should open in the NX Viewer.
Notes and References
Hardware/Software Configuration
Platform: INTL64
OS: windows
OS Version: 1064
Product: NX
Application: SYSTEM
Version: V1872
Function: WNT_OS_ISSUES
Ref: 001-8815601