Sketchbook of Michael Cabuco

Hey everybody - it’s been awhile. Last month was pretty rough as I got involved in a pretty bad car accident on the way to work. However, I was able to walk away from it with only a concussion and various contusions around my body. I’m extremely grateful to be alive and while it’s taken more time to recover than expected, I’m counting my blessings. This week, I finally got back into reworking my portfolio based on the advice my mentors. I’m pretty happen with how this update turned out and I’m feeling more driven to start my new project. My car accident made me realize how easily life can take a turn so I’m making every second of my life count. As always, thanks for the support! https://www.instagram.com/p/CHgxqZ5j1iZ/?igshid=s6vxfrigzauy

The BBQ smoker droid was a fun little project inspired by my love of Texas style BBQ. I though it'd be a fun idea to create a droid concept design based off my offset smoker. This droid could cook, walk on its own, and show a little attitude once awhile. I really had a great time tinkering with this smoker droid and don't be surprise if I actually convert my smoker into this droid. Thanks for the support. Music (Licensed under Creative Commons): NICOCO - Glowing Sky For hi-res viewing please check out the artwork on my website at michaelcabuco.com. https://www.instagram.com/p/CEvpA3xjHj8/?igshid=185wu101w4fwk

For my latest project, I chose to model Heckler & Koch’s HK417 in Fusion 360 to improve my prop design sensibility. As a designer, breaking down the HK417 into components really opened my eyes to how impressive the craftsmanship and engineering went into the HK417. Also, to make the build out more enjoyable, I did customize some of the components such as the handguard and the buttstock. Lastly, to wrap up the project I came across Gallow Technologies modular wall mount weapon racks which I used as reference to model my wall mount and hangers. This project was such a great design exercise and really sharpened my weapon prop design skill set. Workflow Breakdown: - CAD modeling in Fusion 360 - Materials and Render in Blender - Post processing in Adobe Lightroom - Finish overlays in Adobe Photoshop Disclaimer: While this HK417 was modeled in Fusion 360, an engineering focused CAD software, the model is non-functional and is an artistic interpretation. The project was aimed to educate myself in prop design for the themed entertainment industry (TV/Film). https://www.instagram.com/p/CD2dbjCjpyw/?igshid=1ewb7q4zcnfrg

The Spy Drone Workstation is a personal project inspired by my favorite spy thrillers and action movies such as Mission Impossible and James Bond. For the project, I wanted to focus on function and how each sub-assembly of the workstation contributed to the bigger picture. This project took a bit of time, but in the end it was so worth it! I hope you enjoy this project as much as I worked on it. Thanks for the support! Stock Computer Monitor Animation by Pressmaster at Pexels View more of my work at: michaelcabuco.com https://www.instagram.com/p/CCjuB3FDglu/?igshid=1hhjo4e9gp800

I finished up my 3D printed Ahsoka sculpt last week printed on my Ender 3 Pro. It was hard to retain detail when I started sanding the print to remove the print layer lines, but I used a scribe to recreate the lost details. For now, I left her primer grey, but there’s always a chance I’ll fully paint her! Enjoy! https://www.instagram.com/p/CBbgy80Da60/?igshid=1e72kule7p62u

To celebrate a successful final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I wanted to do a fan concept sculpt of Ahsoka Tano. She is one of my favorite characters from The Clone Wars and I really enjoyed watching her grow as a character from the first to the final season. Thank you, @dave.filoni and George Lucas, for creating this powerful and dynamic female character. To @ashleyeckstein, thank you for lending your voice to bring Ahsoka to life. I hope you all enjoy my homage version of Ahsoka and may the force be with you all. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAn15HHjHRx/?igshid=103u2vseyf2r3

The Swords of the Three Kings was inspired by the legend of King Arthur and the trinity. What if King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was not the only legendary sword? I imagined that Excalibur was one of three legendary swords that was once owned by three kings representing earth, water, and fire. Before drawing their last breath, the three kings made a pact and placed their swords in stone. They hoped that one day their swords would be claimed by kings worthy of their powers. Excalibur was the last sword in the stone claimed by King Arthur and eventually returned to the Lady of the Lake. As the Lady of the Lake submerged with Excalibur, the two other elemental swords glowed underwater. The three swords, reunited together, brought balance back to the universe. Technical Breakdown - Original concept and design modeled in Fusion 360 for 3D printing production. - Supporting environment assets from Photobash.org, HDRI Haven, and Quixel Megascans. - Rendered in Blender Cycles - GPU Compute with one Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti Founders Edition - Final keyframe touched up in Photoshop. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_-c62iDYJi/?igshid=c648i8kqtk7w

The Mobile Heavy GNK droid's primary skill set is to provide heavy power support for Resistance camps throughout the galaxy. This single unit can be used as a power distribution unit and provide power to multiple starfighters and diagnostic equipment. HD Links: https://michaelcabuco.com/heavy-gnk-droid-fan-art https://www.artstation.com/artwork/L2AOE0 https://michaelcabuco.cgsociety.org/ikug/heavy-gnk-droid-star Thanks for the support! https://www.instagram.com/p/B_aijRxDhYk/?igshid=7b08aez8zuc7

When an opportunity presents itself to do better, choose to be better. I redid my cargo speeder project after figuring out some core technical ideas in Blender and how to light a scene artistically versus reality. Thanks for the support and definitely look towards opportunities to grow as a professional and as an individual. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_GUqCNDru5/?igshid=y85nwvugkc8k

My Marvel Civil Warrior Shield fan prop design project is now live. Check out the Hi-Res images on my Website/ArtStation/CGS. Have a good weekend and thank you for the support! https://www.instagram.com/p/B-3GG_6jCeW/?igshid=k2u56n3h3v70

Civil Warrior V2 Helmet Concept Marvel Fan Art - After comping my ZBrush renders on the left, I take a few minutes to evaluate the design. I troubleshoot problem areas such as places where sculpt didn’t have enough resolution, squiggly design lines, hard/soft edges, undefined design areas, sloppy silhouette, manufacturing issues, and functionality. With a gameplay in mind I move towards the paint over you see on the right hand side. While the changes can range from drastic to subtle, each move is calculated for the sake of the final design. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-LbIZiDjZ-/?igshid=6xwgl68tigb3

Artist. Creatives. Creators. Your time to learn, grow, and contribute is now. In tough times, people turn to entertainers like us who can turn someone’s day around. During this time, I feel more inspired to create work for myself and hopefully my art can inspire others to grow and maybe bring about a smile or two. With that being said, I’ll be starting a series of concept design fan work for Marvel’s Civil Warrior. During this process, I’ll be using my stories to show my process and eventually at the end hopefully 3D print a concept costume kit. Thank you everyone for the support. For those of you who are able to: inspire your community through your passion or speciality and be there for others that need help. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-DUQq2j0as/?igshid=1fyrayinvqop3

The cargo droid speeder was utilized for long-range transport and difficult terrain. Due to its unique side load configuration, it required an offset repulsor system to counter balance the payload. I treated this project as a practical effects build and developed concept frame weldment for manufacturing and paint scheme guides for the finishing team. Lastly, if I were to push this build further, I would provide additional fastener details and construction dimensions. I hope you enjoy this project as much as I did. Thanks for looking! HD Links: https://michaelcabuco.com/cargo-droid-speeder https://michaelcabuco.cgsociety.org/l9fo/cargo-droid-speeder https://www.artstation.com/artwork/rR8R46 Turntable Animation: https://youtu.be/7k-5zlbObAo https://www.instagram.com/p/B90L2wFDLoJ/?igshid=159cx01ev7uyi

That scavenger droid life. Always on the move. More breakdowns coming soon. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9k7dwNjxfn/?igshid=hlhrrnorrqvl

Sunday sketching featuring this combat style probe droid. It comes with vibroblade and blaster attachments! https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ONmABDA08/?igshid=21g12zfbzp9h

The scavenger lantern was a fun project inspired by @testedcom @therealadamsavage Gaslamp Lantern mixed in with Star Wars aesthetics. I wanted the lantern to feel like it was pieced together by a scavenger on a desert planet that doesn’t mind living in abandoned AT-ATs. I can’t help it. I’m inspired. The scavenger lantern was a milestone project that exercised my ability in mixing electronics, mechanical design, and functionality. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I made building this prop. https://www.instagram.com/p/B8IY2ZQj1Fg/?igshid=bw64q94vqxll

Happy new year everyone and welcome to 2020. This year I look forward to leveling up my skills as a concept set designer and building up my portfolio through fun skill building projects. For my first project of 2020, I made a fan build of Rey’s blaster holster and marked my first leather craft project! It was such a fun process and I learned so many neat tricks that I can use for future projects. Until then, stay hungry, stay creative, and keep building! https://www.instagram.com/p/B69StjPDNsU/?igshid=13xhl0ykhxwdv