How to use raytracing blocks to detect entities?

Title says it all.

I'm trying to find out how to make a custom enderman type mob, but i dont want it to make the sounds or pick up blocks, which the entity base in ai comes with automatically, which is rather annoying, and everywhere I've read always says it's using the raytracing blocks, even Klemen, but no matter what I try  or concoct it never works properly, with the closest being the exact blocks the entity takes up if you're close enough to make the outline appear, (which is only going to be the one at their feet, since you can't outline air, and ive also tried with custom invisible blocks but not only do i wish it didnt have the outline, but place at entity x and z dont actually place it on the same x z)