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I'm Kostya Baliuk, a 3D character animator with a focus on believable movement, rigging, and game-ready integration. I specialize in full-body animation, manual retargeting in Maya, and bringing assets into Unreal Engine 5 and Unity to deliver polished, in-game experiences. I trained with iAnimate's G2 program under Kevin Rucker and have shipped titles on Steam and PlayStation, driven by a passion for believable character motion and the craft behind it. I thrive in fast-paced, collaborative teams and across multiple pipelines, adapting quickly to new rigs and production requirements. I love turning concepts into lively performances and refining animation through feedback to meet high quality standards.…I'm Kostya Baliuk, a 3D character animator with a focus on believable movement, rigging, and game-ready integration. I specialize in full-body animation, manual retargeting in Maya, and bringing assets into Unreal Engine 5 and Unity to deliver polished, in-game experiences. I trained with iAnimate's G2 program under Kevin Rucker and have shipped titles on Steam and PlayStation, driven by a passion for believable character motion and the craft behind it. I thrive in fast-paced, collaborative teams and across multiple pipelines, adapting quickly to new rigs and production requirements. I love turning concepts into lively performances and refining animation through feedback to meet high quality standards.

Kostya Baliuk

3D Animator, Animator, Character Designer, +4

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I'm Kostya Baliuk, a 3D character animator with a focus on believable movement, rigging, and game-ready integration. I specialize in full-body animation, manual retargeting in Maya, and bringing assets into Unreal Engine 5 and Unity to deliver polished, in-game experiences. I trained with iAnimate's G2 program under Kevin Rucker and have shipped titles on Steam and PlayStation, driven by a passion for believable character motion and the craft behind it. I thrive in fast-paced, collaborative teams and across multiple pipelines, adapting quickly to new rigs and production requirements. I love turning concepts into lively performances and refining animation through feedback to meet high quality standards.…I'm Kostya Baliuk, a 3D character animator with a focus on believable movement, rigging, and game-ready integration. I specialize in full-body animation, manual retargeting in Maya, and bringing assets into Unreal Engine 5 and Unity to deliver polished, in-game experiences. I trained with iAnimate's G2 program under Kevin Rucker and have shipped titles on Steam and PlayStation, driven by a passion for believable character motion and the craft behind it. I thrive in fast-paced, collaborative teams and across multiple pipelines, adapting quickly to new rigs and production requirements. I love turning concepts into lively performances and refining animation through feedback to meet high quality standards.

Available to hire

I’m Kostya Baliuk, a 3D character animator with a focus on believable movement, rigging, and game-ready integration. I specialize in full-body animation, manual retargeting in Maya, and bringing assets into Unreal Engine 5 and Unity to deliver polished, in-game experiences. I trained with iAnimate’s G2 program under Kevin Rucker and have shipped titles on Steam and PlayStation, driven by a passion for believable character motion and the craft behind it.

I thrive in fast-paced, collaborative teams and across multiple pipelines, adapting quickly to new rigs and production requirements. I love turning concepts into lively performances and refining animation through feedback to meet high quality standards.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Intermediate

Intermediate

Language

Ukrainian

Fluent

English

Intermediate

Russian

Fluent

Work Experience

3D Character Animator & Rigger at Midnight Game Company

January 1, 2024 - Present

Shipped titles on Steam and PlayStation as part of a dedicated game animation team. Specialized in character animation, rigging, and retargeting; integrated animations into Unreal Engine 5 and Unity; collaborated with lead artist to ensure high-quality, performant in-game motion.

3D Animator at Swy Tap Games

January 1, 2026 - February 1, 2026

Animated and integrated character assets into Unity for horror title The Floor Above (Steam). Brought in alongside the lead animator to meet a critical production deadline; delivered complex creature animations with layered secondary motion.

3D Animator at Karanda Animation Studio

July 1, 2023 - February 1, 2024

Animated characters for an animated series — dialogue scenes, acting, full-body performance. Used pre-built facial rigs and standardized pose libraries to maintain visual consistency; collaborated with directors and art lead to hit weekly delivery targets.

3D Animator / Modeller / Level Designer at Freelance

March 1, 2022 - June 1, 2023

Delivered complete game projects combining character animation, 3D modelling, and level design. Collaborated with developers and fellow artists across multiple projects; managed client communication, timelines, and technical requirements independently.

3D Animator at SnoopGame

September 1, 2021 - April 1, 2022

Created character animations — core locomotion, idle, and facial expression work. Assisted with level layout; gained foundational game pipeline experience; worked in a team alongside programmers and other artists.

3D Character Animator & Rigger at SayGames

June 1, 2024 - August 31, 2024

Created and refined character animations for mobile game; acted as sole animator for a period; integrated assets into Unity; iterated based on feedback to meet quality targets.

Freelance / 3D Animator / Modeller / Level Designer at Freelance

March 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023

Delivered complete game projects combining character animation, 3D modelling, and level design; collaborated with developers and other artists; managed client communications.