lookingAt

LookingAt is a term used in software development and game design to describe a relation between a viewer or agent and a target, indicating whether the target lies within the viewer’s forward direction or line of sight. In practice, it often refers to a check or function named lookingAt, isLookingAt, or similar that returns a boolean or, less commonly, a vector result, depending on the API.

Typical approach in 3D environments uses orientation vectors. Given a source position and a forward direction, and a target position, the check computes the vector to the target and the angle between vectors. If the angle is below a specified threshold, and optionally if the distance is within a maximum range, the system considers the target to be looking at the source. In code, this is commonly implemented using a dot product or a raycast.

Common contexts include: video games for NPC gaze or target detection; camera or avatar systems to determine if an interlocutor is in view; robotics and computer vision for gaze estimation; AR/VR interfaces. In 2D scenarios, angles are measured in the plane; in 3D, the calculation uses the full space.

Variations exist across libraries and engines; the exact name and return type vary, and some systems use raycasting to robustly handle occlusion, while others use simple angle checks. Because it is a name-label rather than a universal API, the concept appears under many aliases, and its details depend on the platform.