AutoCAD 360 is optimized for iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display.

Autodesk has logged another publicity coup in its relationship with Apple, announcing it has the first professional apps optimized to run on the new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display.

Autodesk AutoCAD 360 is optimized for both the new iPad Air and new iPad mini with Retina Display, announced Tuesday. Both tablets feature the new Apple-designed A7 chip with 64-bit desktop-class architecture, first used in the iPhone 5S introduced last month. At 326 pixels per inch, the iPad Air is the highest resolution tablet on the market.

Using AutoCAD 360 on the new generation iPads is “snappier and more fun,” says Jonathan Seroussi, director of AutoCAD web and mobile.  “Users will see an immediate improvement in a number of functions such as rendering – render time is twice as fast in both navigation and editing.” In addition to faster rendering, Seroussi says opening drawings is much faster, and selection is twice as fast.

AutoCAD 360 is becoming a popular app; there have been more than 5.5 million downloads on the Apple App Store, more than 40 million uploaded drawings, and more than 1 million active monthly users on iOS. AutoCAD 360 is also available on the Android mobile platform.

Autodesk has updated seven of its mobile apps to take advantage of iOS7: AutoCAD 360, BIM 360 Field, BIM 360 Glue, Sketchbook Mobile, 123D Creature Show, InfraWorks mobile, and Pixlr on iOS7.