Flat finite elements require a lot of tiny facets to wrap around curved shapes without losing mass or surface area, even when the temperature gradients aren't large enough to justify all those elements. Finite differences can't handle complex geometry such as a hole in a plate. 

CRTech developed a super-parametric element that meets the specialized needs of a thermal engineer: Curved Elements. This webinar will introduce you to Curved Elements, including verification work and quantification of the improvements you'll see in speed and accuracy.