Sharp Stock

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AI Search (Reverse Image Search) ​

Sharp Stock includes a fully local, built-in reverse image search (visual search) feature. Use a reference image to find other assets that look visually similar — great for locating assets with a matching art style.

All AI search processing (model inference, indexing, and searching) happens entirely on your machine. It does not require an internet connection and never uploads your assets to any server.

1. First-time Setup: Download Models & Create an Index ​

Reverse image search depends on a local visual search model and needs one index built for the current library. To get started:

  1. Click the ⚙ Settings icon at the top of the left navigation bar.
  2. Click the AI Search tab on the left.
  3. In the Search Models section, choose a download source and click Download Now; wait for the visual search model to finish downloading.
  4. In the Current Library Index section, click Create Index.
    • Building the index for the first time processes every asset with the local visual search model. The time depends on the number of assets (a few thousand assets usually take a few minutes).
    • You can click Cancel at any time; the previous index (if any) remains usable.
    • Once the index is ready, reverse image search becomes available.

TIP

The index is a rebuildable local cache. It never modifies your assets, thumbnails, descriptions, or tags.

Inference Engine Settings (Mac / Windows) ​

  • macOS: On macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or higher, you can choose between CoreML Hardware Acceleration and ONNX Engine, with CoreML hardware acceleration used by default. With CoreML, the system automatically uses Apple hardware acceleration (CPU, GPU, or Neural Engine) based on model compatibility for faster vector extraction with lower power consumption; the visual model runs on CPU and GPU. On macOS 13 or older, the ONNX engine is automatically used.
  • Windows: Automatically uses the ONNX engine with DirectML GPU hardware acceleration.

Model & Index Management ​

  • Delete Model: Models can be deleted at any time and must be re-downloaded before AI search can be used again. Existing indexes are kept and can still be viewed or deleted in the settings.
  • Full Re-index: If your library changed significantly, or some assets previously failed to index, click Full Re-index. It reprocesses every asset and retries previously failed items; the old index stays available until the new one is ready.
    • You can continue importing, deleting, moving, or renaming assets, and editing descriptions or tags while re-indexing. Sharp Stock applies those changes automatically after the new index is ready, so you do not need to run another rebuild.
  • Delete Current Index: Removes the index cache for the current library. The index can be regenerated at any time and never affects your assets. After deletion, automatic indexing for this library is turned off to avoid an automatic rebuild at the next launch.
  • Other Library Indexes: If you created indexes for other libraries before, they are listed here with their disk usage and can be deleted individually to free up space.

2. Reverse Image Search ​

The unified search box accepts a reference image by pasting or dragging. Set the reference image using any of these methods:

  1. Paste an Image: Copy an image (for example from an image editor or a web page) and paste it into the search box.
  2. Drop a File / Image: Drag an image file (PNG, JPG, WebP, etc.) or a library asset file (such as an FBX 3D model or Spine animation) into the search box. If a non-image asset from the library is dropped, the system automatically matches it and uses its generated thumbnail as the reference.
  3. Asset Context Menu: Right-click any asset and choose Find Similar Assets to search immediately using that asset's preview image as the reference.

When an image is added to the search box, any existing text is cleared and a small thumbnail is shown. Hover over the thumbnail to preview the image in a floating box; the filename (or "Clipboard Image" for pasted images) appears to its right. Then click the Search button to run the search. Results are sorted from most to least visually similar. Click the × button in the search box to clear the reference.

NOTE

  • External reference images support PNG, JPG, WebP, BMP, and GIF formats (under 20 MiB per image). If a non-image asset already in your library (such as an FBX 3D model or Spine animation) is dropped, the system automatically links its thumbnail for searching.
  • Searching from the asset context menu or by dropping a library asset does not modify the asset or import anything.

3. Messages When AI Search Is Unavailable ​

  • Model not downloaded: You will be prompted to download the model in Settings → AI Search.
  • Index not created: You will be prompted to create the index in Settings → AI Search.
  • Index corrupt: AI search is disabled and you will be asked to re-index; incomplete results are never returned silently.
  • Index needs updating: After upgrading to the new visual recognition algorithm or when new assets are added, the index will show "Needs update". Go to Settings → AI Search and click "Full Re-index". Re-indexing only updates the local search cache, does not modify your assets, thumbnails, tags, or descriptions, and does not require re-downloading models. Normal asset imports and modifications will continue to update the index incrementally in the background.

4. Frequently Asked Questions ​

  • Does AI search require internet? No. After the models are downloaded, all searches run offline. No API key is needed and nothing is uploaded.
  • How much disk space does it use? Model size depends on the selected inference engine; the index grows with the number of assets (usually tens to a few hundred MiB for a few thousand assets). You can view and delete models and historical indexes in Settings → AI Search.
  • Why is creating the index slow? Building the index processes all assets in batches to generate vectors; the time depends on the asset count and your computer's performance. This happens only once — later incremental updates are very fast.
  • Will deleting the index delete my assets? No. The index is only a local cache and can be regenerated at any time.