3D object retrieval is an important research issue in the area of computer graphics for applications such as computer-aided design, simulation, and visualisation. The performance of 3D object retrieval systems is dependent on the development of efficient and effective deors and similarity measures. Presented is an effective approach for supporting 3D object retrieval based on optimising the gradient deor which has recently been shown to perform among the state of the art. The approach relies on sparse coding and the effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by experimental evaluation.