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Listen to Case Summary
Engineering Underwater Vehicles Across Three Cities
Sunfish designs and builds underwater submersible vehicles for inspection and water resource management, working with state water authorities and infrastructure clients. The engineering team is fully distributed — designers, reviewers, and leadership spread across the US, and runs every vehicle program in SolidWorks, where part numbers are simple and sequential, so the team relies on detailed file descriptions to find the right files.
"We're remote. The designer is in Philadelphia, our CTO is in Miami, and I'm in Austin. We needed a way to design, review, and release without everyone sitting in the same place — or even in the same software."
Interviewed for this study
Alberto Lopez
Chief Executive Officer, Sunfish
Their Own Version Control, Without An On-Prem Server
Sunfish hit three obstacles when they set out to run their own product data management.
Their Own Vault
Sunfish shared a PDM vault with another company under a shared-IP agreement. As they grew into an independent operation, they needed their own system, full control of their files, versions, and releases, separate from the parent setup.
Server and VPN Overhead
Before, Sunfish hosted a Traditional PDM on their own server. Remote designers connected over a VPN and pulled a license every time they opened the vault. Recreating that meant buying, configuring, and administering another server — work Alberto had done once over a Christmas break and didn't want to repeat.
Reviews Across a Team That Isn't All in SolidWorks
With a remote distributed team, the people who need to review a CAD design - the CEO, the CTO, external collaborators - don't all have a SolidWorks license. Reviews leaned on screenshots and slide decks, which slowed down every design iteration.
The Solution: Sibe
Native SolidWorks Add-in
CAD Engineers check files in and out directly in SolidWorks while Sibe tracks every version, handles assembly references, and keeps a local cache for offline work. No server to install, no VPNs required, no SQL databases to administer. Everything live in under 20 minutes.
Browser-based Collaboration
Non-CAD Reviewers open a web link and view the 3D design in any browser — then pin comments with feedback directly on the model. No SolidWorks license needed. Sunfish's CAD designer in Philadelphia sends a web link, the CTO reviews from Miami, and the team iterates in one place instead of passing screenshots back and forth.
IP Remains Protected
Sibe system generates a separate, IP-protected neutral CAD model rendering for the browser viewer — not the native SolidWorks file — so designs can be shared and reviewed online without exposing geometry that could otherwise be reverse-engineered by bad actors.
"Ken gave me the demo and I got it pretty quick. I figured I could do all of this myself over a weekend instead of buying a new server."
Performance Benchmarks
Metric | Before Sibe | With Sibe |
|---|---|---|
Setup | Buy and administer a server + VPN | Live in 20 minutes, no servers required |
Remote access | VPN + a SolidWorks license per person | Browser link — no SW license to view |
Design reviews | Screenshots and slide decks | Pinned markups on the 3D model |
Vault ownership | Shared with another company | Their own vault, every version tracked |
Book a free Demo with Ken to see Sibe in action
Ken Maren
Chief Solutions Architect
SolidWorks Expert with 30+ Years Experience
Our Customer Success team will get back to you within one business day to schedule the demo call.
