Aidan Donald of Aidan’s Design & Illustration

This week on Oil & Whiskey, we’re joined by Aidan Donald of Aidan’s Design & Illustration, all the way from Australia on his first trip to the States.Aidan talks about growing up drawing cars, reaching out to Roadster Shop designer Chris Gray when he was still a teenager, studying industrial design, and teaching himself the 3D modeling and rendering skills that eventually turned into a career designing cars.We get into what actually goes into one of his renders, from 3D scans, stance and wheel fitment to interiors, custom parts and the tiny details that have to translate from a screen into something a fabricator can actually build. Aidan also walks us through some of his recent projects, including the wild ’59 Cadillac interior for Vinnie’s Hot Rods and several builds currently coming together in Australia and the U.S.The conversation also gets into how quickly CAD, 3D printing and CNC machining have changed the custom car world, where AI fits into the design process, and why having the tools still doesn’t replace taste, experience and knowing what actually looks right.Plus, we talk Australian car culture, his first Holden Commodore, Street Machine’s Expression Session, dream builds, Linkin Park, Triple Crown, and plenty of the usual Oil & Whiskey side quests.