ultralytics 8.4.142

v8.4.142 - Unify `end2end` under `nms=True|False|None` (#26066)

on Python PyPI

🌟 Summary

Ultralytics v8.4.142 unifies YOLO inference and export behavior under the nms option, making it easier to choose between maximum accuracy and NMS-free speed while improving benchmark consistency and deployment documentation.

📊 Key Changes

• 🔄 Unified end2end into nms

  • nms=None (default) uses the one-to-many head with Ultralytics-managed NMS.
  • nms=True uses the one-to-many head and embeds NMS in supported exports.
  • nms=False selects the one-to-one NMS-free head when available.
  • The legacy end2end argument is deprecated:
    • end2end=True maps to nms=False.
    • end2end=False maps to nms=None, unless explicitly combined with nms=True.
  • Both YOLO26 heads remain trained, while validation, checkpoint selection, and early stopping now follow the selected inference head.

• 📦 Improved model fusion and export handling

  • Model fusion now removes the unused detection branch regardless of which inference head is selected.
  • Exported models preserve their native output behavior, while unsupported formats automatically fall back to compatible raw outputs.
  • NMS options are now documented consistently across ONNX, TensorRT, CoreML, OpenVINO, MNN, Ascend, Hailo, and other integrations.

• 📏 More reliable cross-format benchmarks

  • Benchmark validation now uses square inputs consistently across native and exported models.
  • This ensures accuracy and latency comparisons are based on the same preprocessing rather than mixing rectangular and square inputs.

• 🐛 Training resume fix

  • Resuming training with Albumentations transforms no longer fails when saving arguments to YAML.
  • The fix addresses argument normalization order without changing the training workflow.

• 🌐 Expanded deployment documentation

  • Added a new guide for deploying Ultralytics models on Luxonis OAK RVC2 and RVC4 cameras.
  • Improved Ambarella CVflow deployment guidance, including SDK compilation, host validation, and Cavalry device deployment.
  • Documented reliable DEEPX SDK installation using the vendor wheel repository.

• 🧪 Broader test coverage and maintenance

  • Updated prediction, validation, export, Hailo, and model-head tests for the new nms behavior.
  • Package version updated to 8.4.142.

🎯 Purpose & Impact

• ✅ Simpler API: One nms setting now controls head selection and export-time NMS across prediction, validation, tracking, benchmarking, and export.
• 🎯 Better default accuracy: YOLO26 now defaults to the one-to-many head with NMS, which generally provides higher accuracy than the NMS-free one-to-one head.
• ⚡ Optional lower-latency deployment: Use nms=False when you want NMS-free predictions and a simpler post-processing pipeline.
• 🔧 Easier migration: Existing end2end configurations continue to work through compatibility mapping, but new code should use nms.
• 📊 Fairer performance comparisons: Cross-format benchmark results are now more meaningful because all formats use matching square validation inputs.
• 🌍 Wider edge-device support: New and refined documentation makes deployment on Luxonis, Ambarella, DEEPX, Hailo, and other specialized platforms easier to follow.
• ⚠️ Export consideration: Some runtimes or quantized configurations cannot support NMS-free or embedded-NMS graphs and will fall back to native raw outputs. Check the target integration’s compatibility before deployment.

What's Changed

• Refine Ambarella integration documentation by @smohan-ambarella in #25465
• Add Luxonis OAK deployment documentation by @klemen1999 in #25452
• Document DEEPX SDK dependency installation by @Gornoka in #26067
• Use square validation inputs for cross-format benchmarks by @glenn-jocher in #26068
• Normalize augmentation overrides after restoring resume arguments by @glenn-jocher in #26069
• Unify end2end under nms=True|False|None by @glenn-jocher in #26066

New Contributors

• @smohan-ambarella made their first contribution in #25465
• @klemen1999 made their first contribution in #25452

Full Changelog: v8.4.141...v8.4.142