Tutorial Realistic Highway Mod (RHM) tutorial

Migrator's note: ohadi195 is the original author of this tutorial.

Hello fellows city builders!
This Tutorial will give the basics of how to use pitty's Realistic Highway Mod (RHM). It would give you guys a look on this mod and it's function.
- You can download RHM here: http://xlnation.net/content/realistic-highway-mod-0
- CXL wiki page made by Soltan gris could be found here: http://citiesxl.wikia.com/wiki/Realistic_Highway_Mod
- you can check out the RHM video tutorials on YouTube:
Part 1- basic tools: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuC86SUYI-c
Part 2 - bridges: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4taNfb-B88
Part 3 - Ramps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qxK20l26io
Part 4 - 3way Interchanges: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr6F_J7k038
Part 5 - 4way Interchanges: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Y5lc4CjUA
I'd like first to thank Pitty for the amazing project he did and for all the time and efforts he spent for making this game better. RHM is for sure one of the best mods ever created for CXL.
I've been testing this mod and eventually replaced my entire transportation system throughout my city into new one using RHM. During this process I have found this mod to be very flexible, challenging and well made. Don't be wrong, this mod made of High Quality "materials" and it would change your perspective about Highways in game.
I must say, this mod is not easy to handle first and it takes time to get use to it. However, it worth any second of learning it!
Basic tools
the main idea of RHM is to achieve flexibility by many tools. one could catalog it for "tools" and "connectors", when tools are the road surfaces which we will pave as we pave in-game roads and connectors are used to CONNECT different kinds of tools. Any time we extend one tool into the other we must use those.

Those are the basic Highway tools of RHM:


RHM basic tools description:
1. one lane Integration way.
2. two lanes highway (no guardrail) / integration way.
3. two lanes Highway (including left shoulder, no guardrail).
4. two lanes highway (guardrail).
5. two to one lane tool.
6. two lanes highway (different markings).
7. one to two lanes tool.
8. three lanes highway (including one integration lane).
9. three lanes highway.
10. three to two lanes tool.
11. two to three lanes tool.
12. four lanes highway (including one integration lane).
13. four lanes highway (dual two lanes integration way).
14. four lanes highway.
15. three to four lanes tool.
16. four to three lanes tool.
17. five lanes highway.
18. four to five lanes tool.
19. five to four lanes tool.
Capacities [cars/minute]:
2 lanes: 110
3 lanes: 170
4 lanes: 200
5 lanes: 230
please notice that the guardrail should be to your left when you drive the highway. try to use one method of paving (from upside down or the opposite) so you won't get confused.
There are also bridges/tunnel tools which unlike previous tool are not on the highway menu but at the road one under bridge function.
Here are the basic Connectors of RHM:



Those are all the connectors of RHM. There is as well a connector of 3 lanes X 2 to the in-game Highway for those who wants to use the in-game Highway as well.
connectors are very important since it gives us the flexibility and basically those will help us create what ever comes in our minds. It's crucial for any interchange or highway expansion of any kind. if for example we would like to split 4 lanes Highway into two highways of 2 lanes each one we must use the #12 connector, etc...
this is one example of how it works. Let's make one lane into two.

As you can see, connectors comes over the ugly junction problem which gives us so much hard time , connectors will be marked as arrows on the road and basically it function as building meaning that you can not see any cars on it nor can build it on non-flat terrain. Remember that the connectors should snap into the road tool and that it should point to the road direction. Only those ones which suits to the road snaps on it. others simply won't snap.. don't worry, you will feel it

another example of splitting/merging two and three lanes. this method suits to a 2-lanes Highway

here is an example of 3 to 5 lanes paving.

this can be used when we want to pave 2-lanes integration way instead of the one lane. it's great when we build 3 or 4 lanes highway which has biger car capacities and therefor ramps should be bigger. you can see the expanding process from 3 to 5 lanes and then the splitting of it into the integration way (could be used as a ramp) and the highway (traffic won't get interrupted by exiting vehicles).
don't forget to check if your system is CONNECTED and fuctional!! this could be done by passing in it a BUS LINE. if the bus line walks through, it's good. if it's not then you should check where it get stuck and fix the connecter(

On/Off ramps
we need those to enter and exit the Highway from the inter-city roads.

Highway over road: very simple and easy. you can make it small/large with one/two integration roads.

Avenue over Highway: this one a bit harder than the one above due to the 2-lanes integration road. (we need to use 5 lanes to 3+2 connector and many others).

Basket ramp: I like this one the most, you save many connectors when building this. (check out the integration road)

Roundabout ramp: small, beautiful and not hard to build but not very efficient. actually it causes many traffic jams

Three-way interchanges

this is a way to connect two highways into 3 directions without any traffic lights.
Trumpet: quite easy to build.

Full Y: hard to build but quite efficient

Half-clover: I like this one

Four-way interchanges
this is the most effective way to connect two highways into 4 directions. those kinds takes more time to build.
Cloverleaf Interchange: very common and cheap to build (require only one bridge) but also has sharp angles and causes weaving problems. best for low capacity highways.



Roundabout Interchange: this one is 3 floors interchange and it includes ramps. hard to build but very effective.

Two-level cloverstack: took me more than 3 hours to build!! but I like the results, it has nice curved background lines unlike the one above

Three-level Turbine: this one has 2-lanes integration ways and is recommended for 3/4 lanes Highways.
in order to construct this interchange follow this steps:
structure model:

here is a real life example:

this specific interchange has 3-floors and vehicles flows on it without any traffic lights. it's suitable for 3 to 4 lanes highway systems. it has 2-lanes integration ways which would make your traffic flow better. (you can use 1 lane integration ways for a 2-lanes Highway system as well)
so let's start!
First, it is recommended to draw the structure lines. that's important in order to make it symmetrical. you can use regular roads and zones.


now build the first Highway which is the first floor. use the road lines as a space between them.

build the crossing Highway using the bridge tool. this is our second floor so don't buit it too high.

use the 2-lane bridge tool and start building the first integration way.

build another one on the other side

snap the specific connectors on the southern highway as desribed

follow the previous steps in reverse in order to build the integration ways on to the North. (remember that it's heading in the opposite direction!!)

Now start building the third integration way at the first level highway. use the connectors as followed

Now build a left turn (on the left side of the 4 to 2X2 lanes connector) and shift to raise it to a third-level floor.
repeat this and the previous step in revese for the fourth integration way.

now close the integration way as described. it should integrate to the followed second floor highway. if you can't snap the connectors as happened to me try building it in a reverse way as described

join the two integration ways into one 2-lanes way.

merge and split the integration ways on the first level highways. remember, you should enter and exit the interchange with 3 lanes.


close the highways which comes out of the interchange using the specific connectors. (remember to check if your system work, you can do that by trying to pass bus lines through it)

connect the interchange to your highway system using the connectors. if you want to connect it to the in-game highways use the 3 lanes X 2 to highway connector.


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I know it's not an easy task, especialy at first try but I do hope this tutorial helps a bit..
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I welcome you to post any questions and to share your creations here as well.
remember: be CREATIVE