This paper concerns recognizing 3-dimensional object using proposed multi-layer block model. In particular, we aim to achieve desirable recognition performance while restricting the computational load to a low level using 3-step feature extraction procedure. An input image is first precisely partitioned into hierarchical layers of blocks in the form of base blocks and overlapping blocks. The hierarchical blocks are merged into a matrix, with which abundant local feature information can be obtained. The local features extracted are then employed by the kernel based support vector machines in tournament for enhanced system recognition performance while keeping it to low dimensional feature space. The simulation results show that the proposed feature extraction method reduces the computational load by over 80% and preserves the stable recognition rate from varying illumination and noise conditions.