There use to be a media explore ability for Vegas that allowed you to search for filenames on your computer directly inside vegas. Does anyone remember this functionality and have discovered a new way of doing this??
Yes, there was once - and as soon as it is available, there should be something like this again in this version 18 Pro/365/Suite:
As soon as VEGAS Prepare is available, it will be yours for free.
VEGAS Prepare Effective media management
VEGAS Prepare enables you to create an organized structured media library, add media collections based on your critical organizational criteria, and add searchable tags to individual media files. You can then access all of this organization directly through VEGAS Prepare or through the Hub Explorer window in VEGAS Pro. Synchronize your VEGAS Prepare library with VEGAS Pro so that you always remain fully organized. Organize your media and achieve your goals even faster.
https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/us/vegas-pro/features/