The history of stress around a circular tunnel during excavation in a homogeneous, isotropic, linear elastic or plastic medium with a strain softening behavior, subjected to either isotropic (Ko = 1) or anisotropic (Ko = 2) state of stress, in 3D conditions are considered by using a 3D finite difference model. The results are presented by means of the stress path method with attention paid to the zones located in the crown/invert and in the springlines. It is shown that the stress path in these zones exhibits a more complex trend of behavior with respect to those typical of 2D simplified analyses.