Getting started

Each makerspace in MakerOps is a space with its own people, equipment and settings, at its own address: yourspace.makerops.ai. An organization with two separate facilities (different buildings, staff and equipment) runs one space for each. One account signs in to all of them.

If you’d rather learn by doing, follow Set up MakerOps in 30 minutes instead. It covers the same ground as a single walkthrough.

Create your space

1. Go to app.makerops.ai/signup. Fill in Organization name, Workspace address, Your name, Work email, a password and your Timezone, then click Create workspace. You become the space’s first administrator.
2. Confirm your email with the link we send.
3. Work through the setup wizard (below).

Hours, shifts, bookings, emails and controller clocks all use the time zone you pick. If it’s wrong, change it in the wizard’s Operating hours step, or later in Settings › Operating Hours.

The setup wizard

The wizard asks seven short questions and configures the space from your answers. Every step has Skip this step, and everything can be changed later in Settings.

Step	What it asks	What it sets up
Your space	University, community, K-12 or commercial shop	Sensible defaults for that kind of space
Equipment	Which kinds of equipment you have, such as 3D printing, CNC, laser, woodworking	The matching machine types, with icons
People & safety	Whether minors use the space, what you ask for at sign-up, whether everyone signs a waiver	Contact requirements, and a draft waiver for you to finish and publish
Staffing & trainings	Whether you have scheduled staff, and whether you run trainings for machine access	Turns on Time Tracking and Training & Credentials
Doors & controllers	Whether you have badge readers or MakerOps controllers	Turns on Facility Access and Controllers
Operating hours	Your time zone, when you’re open, and which day your week starts	Your time zone and opening hours
Sample data	Whether to load example data, and optional teammate invites	Example machines, people and trainings to explore

At the end, Here’s what setup did lists every change. Click Finish & go to dashboard.

If you loaded sample data, clear it before you go live.

Run the wizard again

An admin who can edit settings can come back to the wizard at any time: Settings › Modules, then Run the setup wizard again. Until the getting-started card on your dashboard is dismissed or finished, it links there too. Your earlier answers are filled in. Click a step’s name at the top to jump to it.

Running it again doesn’t duplicate anything:

• Skip this step changes nothing.
• Equipment only adds machine types you don’t have yet. It never brings back a type you deleted.
• Operating hours only adds hours if your space has no weekly hours yet. Hours you’ve set up are left alone. The time zone and week start day are updated.
• People & safety won’t create a second waiver if you already have one.
• Sample data won’t load a second copy.

Saving a step does apply its answers, though. The Staffing & trainings and Doors & controllers steps turn their modules on or off to match what you tick, and People & safety replaces the sign-up requirements it asks about. Skip a step you don’t want to change.

Choose your modules

Each area of MakerOps is a module: Equipment, Inventory, Training & Credentials, Scheduling, Reservations, Loans, Controllers and so on. The menu only shows modules that are on. An admin turns them on and off in Settings › Modules. Settings is at the bottom of the left-hand menu. The same page has the link to run the setup wizard again.

Invite your people

1. Open People › Members & Groups and click Invite Member.
2. Enter the person’s Email Address and pick their Role. Optionally, add them to Groups and choose Their dashboard (see Dashboards).
3. Click Send Invitation.

They can accept on the web or in the MakerOps mobile app. Someone new to MakerOps chooses a password as they accept. Someone who already has a MakerOps account signs in first. To invite people you need the Invite members permission. See People, roles & permissions for what each role can do.

To invite a whole group, click Bulk invite on People › Members & Groups: add people from a CSV file or a pasted list, choose roles for each group, check the list, then send. On the Review tab, the picker showing Default dashboard gives the whole batch one dashboard layout. For groups who visit for a while, such as a class or a summer camp, use People › Visiting Members instead.

Single sign-on (SAML) is set up by MakerOps for your space. Contact us with your identity provider’s details.

Next

• Set up MakerOps in 30 minutes: build the core workflow end to end.
• Training & credentials: from “new member” to “cleared on the laser”.
• Machine access: if you have MakerOps controllers.