3D BLOG/INTERVIEWS/HARD SURFACE MASTERY WITH OLEKSANDR LINOVICHENKO

Hard Surface Mastery with Oleksandr Linovichenko

Nov 26, 2025

Article by Filip Radivojevic

Oleksandr Linovichenko is a Principal 3D Artist specializing in hard surface and weapon art, with experience across major studios such as Gunzilla, Crytek, NetEase, Blackwood Games, and Ulysses Graphics. His work blends precision, realism, and strong technical understanding, shaped by years of developing vehicles, weapons, and mechanical assets for AAA productions. In this interview, he talks about the methods, discipline, and attention to detail behind his approach to high level hard surface art.

Early Beginnings and Introduction

How did your path into the world of hard surface and weapon art begin, and what drew you toward this specific area of 3D creation as your long term focus?

Since childhood, I've had a deep love for cars. One day, while browsing the internet, I came across how cars are created in 3D software, and it made a huge impression on me. I became interested in the process, and eventually, car modeling turned into my hobby. A few years later, I received a job offer from the Kyiv-based studio Ulysses Graphics for the position of Vehicle 3D Artist. While working at the company, I also discovered that I really enjoyed creating weapons. In my view, weapons are the most well-balanced objects in a game in terms of geometry and the level of detail on textures.

Career Path and Professional Growth

You have worked in several well known studios like Gunzilla, Pingle Studio, NetEase, Blackwood Games and Crytek. How did each stage of your career contribute to shaping your style, workflow and mindset as a Principal 3D Artist?

First of all, I'd like to say that in each of these companies, I had the chance to work with wonderful people from whom I learned a lot, and I truly hope that I was able to share some of my own knowledge and experience with them as well. The workflow across all studios is quite similar: you receive a concept with the general idea, sometimes refine it further, or you might get the name of a specific weapon, gather references, and then begin working on the 3D model.

Over time, the tools evolve, making the development process easier and faster. As for my style, I wouldn't say that any particular project influenced its formation. I believe it was a natural process that developed throughout my entire career.

Creating for AAA Titles

You contributed to major AAA titles such as Call of Duty, Warface, Knives Out and Off The Grid. What are the main production challenges when developing high quality weapons and vehicles for games of this scale?

The companies I mentioned have been in the industry for many years, and each of them has very well-established processes and clear artistic requirements. So if you follow all the guidelines and stick closely to the pipeline, you generally won't run into any major issues.

At the same time, you need to pay close attention to even the smallest details to ensure the model feels "alive" in the game. I have an interesting story related to this. One company, in one of its updates, added an aircraft to their game, and just a few days later, they received a message from a fan pointing out that the number of rivets on the wing of the in-game model did not match the number of rivets on the real aircraft's wing. So attention to detail is extremely important!

Art Style and Realism

Your work features a high level of realism with intricate mechanical details and believable wear. How do you approach research, reference gathering and accuracy to achieve this level of authenticity in your models?

I read about the model on Wikipedia, look for photos on Google, and watch videos on YouTube. For every model I work on, I try to gather as many references as possible. I can spend an entire day or even longer just collecting them. And quite often, these references already show areas of wear, scratches, or simply interesting details from an artist's point of view.

I then try to incorporate all of that into my model. The main rule I always try to follow is: never texture "from imagination", always base it on realistic references.

Tools and Technical Workflow

How do you decide which tools to use for specific tasks and how has your preferred software stack evolved over the years?

Ninety percent of tasks in hard surface modeling are covered by CAD programs such as Fusion 360 or Plasticity. Only when a surface is particularly complex do I turn to more traditional 3D modeling software like 3ds Max or Maya. Over the years, the industry workflow has changed significantly. The tools used at each stage of model development have evolved. To give a concrete example from my own experience, at the beginning of my career, I used 3ds Max for modeling, whereas now I use Plasticity; for UV unwrapping, I also started with 3ds Max but now use RizomUV; for baking, I used XNormal and now I use Marmoset; for texturing, I started with Photoshop and now I work with Substance 3D Painter. As I mentioned earlier, new tools have emerged that make the workflow easier and faster.

Hard Surface Excellence and Cybernetic Design

Your recent work at Gunzilla includes advanced cyber limbs and detailed mechanical components. What is your process for designing futuristic assets while keeping them functional and believable for the gameplay experience?

This is entirely thanks to the incredibly talented concept designers working at Gunzilla. My responsibility was to translate their ideas into the game. I believe our collaboration can be considered a success.

Production Pipeline and Team Collaboration

You have experience both as a Lead Artist and a Senior Specialist. How do you approach communication, feedback and quality control when guiding teams, and what do you consider essential for maintaining consistency across complex projects?

As I mentioned earlier, large companies have well-defined pipelines, and my role as lead artist was to ensure that the entire team followed this pipeline and created art according to the specified requirements. Of course, I also provided feedback on the work from the perspective of the established artistic style. To maintain consistency, it was crucial that every team member clearly understood what was expected of them for each task. Additionally, in complex projects, effective communication between departments is extremely important.

Problem Solving and Artistic Challenges

Weapons, vehicles and mechanical props often require strict technical accuracy. Can you share a production challenge from one of your past projects and explain how you solved it from both an artistic and technical perspective?

When it comes to objects like near-future sci-fi designs and similar themes, everything is quite straightforward. I start by creating compositionally balanced masses with appealing proportions and a strong silhouette, while already considering color at the base level, because it carries no less compositional weight than form. Even if I'm working with a ready draft concept, I always try to improve it within certain boundaries, of course preserving the vibe, direction, and essence of the original.

So I first establish an overall compositionally attractive form, and then I layer context onto that form using real-world references to give the fictional object a sense of realism. For that, you naturally need a large visual library, the ability to quickly pull the necessary reference from your memory, and then use search tools to explore real references in more depth. This is important because not everyone knows how every mechanism in the world works, but people see them constantly in daily life and unconsciously remember how they function. And when they see something that looks fake, they can feel it.

When it comes to real objects, historical ones or licensed ones, you have no other choice but to model them meticulously according to the reference. Sometimes it's just a large collection of photos or blueprints; sometimes it's photography prepared for camera matching/image-based modeling; or it can be a photogrammetry scan, a laser/NIR scan, or even a licensed CAD model converted from vector to mesh.

Advice for Aspiring Artists

Many 3D artists on RenderHub aim to reach the AAA level of quality that you demonstrate. What advice would you give them regarding practice, portfolio development and mastering hard surface art for games?

Nowadays, there are plenty of tutorial videos and lessons available, and you can look at examples of high-quality work on various platforms to gain a lot of useful insights if you have the motivation, that is. Regarding portfolios, I would recommend choosing one direction and creating several strong pieces in that area. That is usually enough to catch the attention of a potential employer, but the work must be of genuinely high quality.

Besides the work itself, presentation is also very important. A great piece without a well-crafted render is unlikely to attract much attention. I personally spend quite a bit of time on rendering, creating a few rough drafts, and then selecting the one I consider the best to refine further. Finally, I would like to wish everyone good luck and say that a person who is passionate about their craft can achieve significant success!

Follow Oleksandr Linovichenko on ArtStation and LinkedIn to see more of his incredible work.

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